New kid's film set for worst opening weekend ever

A new film aimed at toddlers could be set to break box office records for having the worst opening weekend of all time.

'Oogieloves In The Big Balloon Adventure' made just $102,564 (£65,000) across 2160 cinemas when it was released in the US on Wednesday.

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The figure amounts to just $47 (£30) per screen, setting the film on course for a catastrophic flop.

The previous winner of the lowest receipts for an opening weekend was 'Proud American', an indie drama which made just $128 (£81) per venue when it was released in 2008.

The film stars singer Toni Braxton, Cary Elwes, Chazz Palminteri and 'Back To The Future' star Christopher Lloyd, alongside the Oogieloves, a troupe of brightly coloured characters called Goobie, Zoozie and Toofie played by actors in costumes.

It is producer Kenn Viselman's first foray into film, having been responsible for taking shows like 'Thomas The Tank Engine' and 'Teletubbies' to the US audience.

It's thought that the promotion budget alone came in at $40 million (£25 million), while the film itself cost $20 million (£12 million).

It's also been mauled by critics, receiving a 33% 'fresh rating' on reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

Variety magazine critic Geoff Berkshire called it 'a prime contender for most peculiar wide release of the year'.