The UK/Ireland market hasproven a strong territory for Johnny Cash biopic Walk The Line, however, the true successhas come from Ireland. Walk TheLine has been nothing short of a phenomenon in Ireland. The biggest release of 2006 so far in the Republic Of Ireland, the film had grossed $2.95m (Euro 2.45m) before the Oscars.

This represented a massive23% of the UK/Ireland total territory gross compared to the 12%-14% that thecountry more commonly accounts for an average movie's gross in the whole territory.With Northern Irelandfigures also included Ireland had taken 27.5% of the UK/Ireland total. The firstweekend after its Oscars triumph for best actress Reese Witherspoon saw thefilm continue its success, slipping just 2% week-on-week and in the Republic of Ireland to provide a $3.3m (Euro2.8m) cumulative gross.

"Country music and JohnnyCash is much bigger in Ireland than the UK," explains Kieran Breen, UK marketing director for distributor 20th Century Fox, of the reason for Walk The Line's incredible success in thecountry. "Country music sales account for about 2% of UK music sales, but 8%-10% of all music sales in Ireland."

Fox launched on 198 printsin the whole of the UK/Ireland territory of which 30% (58) were in Ireland. Normally the ratio in Ireland is approximately 14%-17%.

Walk The Line opened top of the Republic Of Ireland chart on February 3, taking $378,413 (Euro 315,316) in its first threedays. In the territory as a whole it had to settle for second, although thefirst-placed Zathura only kept Walk The Line from the top spot thanks topreview figures included in its weekend takings.

Over its second weekend theIrish figures improved 17% week-on-week, compared to 4% for the territory as awhole, although the film dropped to third on the table due to the half-termopenings of Chicken Little and Big Momma's House 2. Holding third placein its third week with a week-on-week drop off of just 8% Walk The Line then regained the lead of the Irish chart in itsfourth week, despite the launch of Fox's teen-skewed comedy Date Movie, and retained it in its fifthand sixth weeks when Warner Bros' Syriana and Fox's The Hills Have Eyes hit the market.

Significantly Irishaudiences for Walk TheLine have not been limited to merely adult audiences with cinema feedbackto Fox revealing audiences from all age groups are seeing the film.

With a gross, to date, of$14.3m (£8.3m) the UK/Ireland territory is Walk The Line's biggest international territory so far. After six weekson release this figure represented 12% of the North American 17 week total($118.8m). While this appears only marginally ahead of the 10% expectation ofthe UK/Ireland market compared to North America it isa massive success for a biopic of a US star. In comparison last year's Ray, about Ray Charles, grossed $4.2m (£2.3m) for UIP in the UK, just 5.6% of the North American ($75.3m) total.