PATRICK Stewart and his mutant friends are a big hit.

The Mirfield-born actor is the star of X-Men: The Last Stand.

And the film opened in the United States with record attendances.

It broke box office records when it raked in £55m on the opening weekend.

The film, about a war between mutants, proved even bigger than The Da Vinci Code.

The earnings for the X-Men film between the Friday and Sunday were the fourth highest ever.

The three bigger films were Spiderman, Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith and Shrek 2.

And its opening day grossed £24.4m - the best-ever return in US cinema history.

The 65-year-old Mirfield-born Stewart, taking on the role of Prof Xavier for the third time, said: "This film is richer from start to finish.

"It'll get you worked up - and it should.

"It has an intriguing hook that gets you involved immediately and emotionally with the characters."

Stewart stars with Sir Ian McKellan and Halle Berry.

The film hit British screens at the end of last week.

And Stewart has hinted there could be a fourth film in the series.