GLOVES OFF.(Brief Article)

Brit pic biz cops market-minded attitude

LONDON It's been a terrible year for British films--apart from "Billy Elliot," "Chicken Run," "Kevin and Perry Go Large," "Snatch" and "The Beach."

The U.K. industry has a tendency to see success as the exception, failure as the rule. So although a remarkable range of local pics won 20% of the local box office, 2000 has been widely written off as something of a disaster.

Never before in recent years have five films from British indie producers grossed over 10 [pounds sterling] million ($14 million), but the chasm between boffo and blah is yawning wider than ever.

"Maybe Baby" was the only other British film to reach the $5 million comfort zone. Of 65 pics released through mid-November, 50 failed to reach $1 million, and 22 …