Burton and cotillard honoured in france

Alice In Wonderland director Tim Burton and actress Marion Cotillard have been awarded one of France's top cultural honours at a ceremony in Paris.

The American moviemaker, whose adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic has smashed winter box office records around the world, joined Oscar winner Cotillard at the Culture Ministry in the French capital on Monday (15Mar10), when they were both made officers of the National Order of Arts and Letters.

After accepting the accolade from Culture Minister Frederic Mitterand, Burton paid special tribute to the country, saying, "I feel much more at home here than I do in my own country and I thank you very much."

Alice In Wonderland, starring Johnny Depp, grossed £131,4 million worldwide in its first three days of release (05-07Mar10), scoring the most successful 3D opening ever and the biggest opening in the first quarter of the year.

The film opened in America with an estimated £72,7 million, easily beating the winter record set by The Passion of the Christ in 2004, and added a further £38,8 million to its domestic earnings over the weekend (12-14Mar10).