Ben Stiller's "Museum" tops UK box office

LONDON, Jan 4 (Reuters) Family comedy ''Night at the Museum'' kicked the ''Happy Feet'' dancing penguins off the top of the UK box office in its debut weekend, Screen International said.

The film, starring Ben Stiller as a security guard in a museum where the exhibits come to life at night, took nearly 4 million pounds over the New Year weekend.

The special effects-packed 20th Century Fox feature has already topped the US box office. It boasts an A-list comic cast, including Ricky Gervais, Mickey Rooney, Dick Van Dyke and Robin Williams.

''Happy Feet'' grossed 1.8 million pounds at British cinemas over the weekend, while the latest James Bond movie ''Casino Royale'' was a non-mover at three with 1.4 million pounds.

Romantic comedy ''It's a Boy Girl Thing'' entered the chart at four after taking nearly 1 million pounds.

Down three places at five was ''The Holiday'', a trans-Atlantic love story starring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black and Jude Law.

Animated adventure ''Flushed Away'' and the Denzel Washington thriller ''Deja Vu'' were steady at sixth and seventh, while fantasy tale ''Eragon'' dropped to eighth.

''Perfume: The Story of a Murderer'', based on the bestselling novel by the German author Patrick Sueskind, was a new entry at number nine.

Clint Eastwood's World War Two drama ''Flags of our Fathers'' completed the top ten.

REUTERS PDM RK0844