HONG KONG

Hollywood movie "Transformers" raked in US$37.3 million at the Chinese box office, making it the No. 2 grossing foreign movie of all time in the country after "Titanic," an official said yesterday.

Film Bureau Deputy Director-General Zhang Pimin said "Transformers" had surpassed "The Da Vinci Code," which drew in US$13.3 million. "

Zhang denied a report in the Ming Pao Weekly magazine over the weekend that China's government banned media coverage of "Transformers" when its box office earnings neared the 200 million yuan (US$27 million) mark. "How could it do so well at the box office without publicity?" he said.

Crazy for rats

PARIS, France

The kitchen capers of a rodent who dreams of becoming a top Parisian chef in the U.S. box-office hit "Ratatouille" have sparked a new craze for pet rats in the French capital, a pets association said yesterday.

"Since the film came out, there is no question there is a real fashion for rats," said Gerald Moreau, 25, who runs a group near Paris promoting the long-tailed rodents as domestic animals.

Visits to his Web site have tripled and sales of rodent accessories have jumped 40 percent since the movie's French release this summer, according to industry figures.

Children are driving the craze - seeking out soft-coated rats with floppy "Dumbo" ears like Remy, the hero of the Pixar comedy - pushing parents to seek out tips on choosing and caring for a rat.

But Moreau, who with his girlfriend has 19 pet rats, tells parents to think twice before taking one home: "They're very sociable animals, and they need a lot of cuddles and play time."

And a word of warning to those conquered by the rat's charms: never put a male and female in the same cage, since the female can give birth to up to 15 pups every three weeks.