‘Happy Feet’ steps on competition in Australia

“Happy Feet” beat down the competition on Boxing Day in Oz.

Traditionally the biggest box office day of the year in Australia, “Happy Feet” was best in ticket sales, earning $2.2 million. It defeated “Night at the Museum,” which was No. 1 this weekend in the U.S.

The opening for “Happy Feet” was the second-highest single-day gross of the year in Australia, coming behind “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” which broke one-day records in July.

The all-time single-day Boxing Day record was set last year by “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” when it earned $6.5 million.

“Happy Feet” has now earned approximately $280 million worldwide.