The U.K. film Billy Elliot, which opened to strong critical praise, earned $2.4 million at the British box office over the weekend, with sales rising day to day on terrific word-of-mouth, the BBC reported Monday.

Producer John Finn expressed surprise at the results. "The success is great, ridiculous because we never expected anything like that. ... This is a story about a kid who wants to be a ballet dancer, set against the miners' strike. We did not know who it would appeal to." The film opened in second place, just $150,000 below the U.S. sci-fi hit Hollow Man.

Source: Studio Briefing