Dr. Seuss tops box office

LONDON (Reuters) - The latest Jim Carrey-Dr Seuss film "Horton Hears a Who," topped the box office in its opening weekend, according to Screen International, taking 2.95 million pounds.

The animated tale of an innocent elephant trying to save a microscopic world on a speck of dust also stars the voices of Carol Burnett and Steve Carell.

It just pipped another newcomer, "The Spiderwick Chronicles", which took 2.5 million pounds with its goblin-filled story of a New York couple and their three children moving out of the city and into one of moviedom's spookiest houses.

Also new, at three, was dance-school caper "Step Up 2 The Streets," a successor to 2006's "Step Up" and firmly in the mould of "Flashdance" and "Fame."

"Meet The Spartans" was the fourth of the week's six newcomers, a critically panned parody of the Spartan epic "300."

Down at five from last week's top spot was "10,000 BC," director Roland Emmerich's prehistoric story of a young hunter discovering his destiny as he battles mammoths and mayhem.

Down four places at six was the story of a presidential assassination plot, with Dennis Quaid and William Hurt, "Vantage Point."

Also down four places, at seven, was Disney's "The Game Plan," with wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a gridiron footballer coping with the demands of looking after an eight-year-old girl.

At eight, down from four, was Tudor tale "The Other Boleyn Girl" while Bollywood movie "Race" was new at nine.