'Sweeney Todd' tops U.K. box office

LONDON, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Warner Bros. announced "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" was No. 1 at the U.K. box office during the weekend.

The macabre movie musical earned about $9 million the weekend it opened in British cinemas.

"We are delighted that 'Sweeney Todd' has had such a phenomenal opening weekend," Josh Berger, president and managing director of Warner Bros U.K., said in a statement. "We are very proud of the film and thrilled that Tim Burton's critically acclaimed masterpiece is such a hit with U.K. audiences. We're confident that this stunning film will reach greater heights."

Filmed in the United Kingdom's Pinewood Studios, Burton's screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning stage musical stars Johnny Depp as the titular murderous barber and Helena Bonham Carter as his accomplice Mrs. Lovett.

The film last week earned three Oscar nominations, including a best actor nod for Depp.