Mel Gibson's recent troubles don't seem to have effected his appeal at the box office, as his Mayan Empire epic was the highest grossing movie in the US over the weekend.
Although it's distributed by Walt Disney, Apocalypto is a subtitled film with an unknown cast that's set in the last days of said empire. Not the usual blockbuster fare but it did manage to take in $14.2 million in box-office receipts.
"They judged the movie, not the man," Chuck Viane, Disney's president of distribution told the LA Times. "It's so hard to get noticed in this crowded marketplace, but here is a film that on its face said, 'I'm fresh, I'm creative, I'm different,' and people responded to that."
Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Jack Black-starring rom-com The Holiday opened at $13.5 million, finishing No. 2 for the weekend.
Animated penguin hit Happy Feet was third with Casino Royale fourth and Leonardo DiCaprio-starring adventure Blood Diamond rounding out the top 5.