Brett Ratner's Spielberg guilt

05-06-2006 11:30

Brett Ratner has confessed he feels guilty for smashing idol Stephen Spielberg's box office records.The humble director set a new record for Memorial Day weekend box office takings for 'X-Men: The Last Stand' and admits he never imagined his successwould surpass that of his childhood hero. He told America's New York Daily News newspaper: "I feel sort of guilty, because I look up to guys like Spielberg, and I beat every record of his."The latest 'X-Men' movie racked in $122 million smashing the previous $92.7 million record held by Spielberg's 1997 film 'The Lost World: Jurassic Park'.Referring to the legendary director Ratner, 37, continued: "He's like my idol, but biggest Memorial Day opening in history - that feels good."The filmmaker has also said that walking in to the film's reception at the Cannes Film Festival with actress Halle Berry - who plays weather controlling mutant Storm in the film - was almost as good as winning an Oscar.

He said: "Everyone stands up and claps for you as you walk in. For a filmmaker, I don't think there's anything better - other than maybe winning an award."

The third instalment of the successful comic book franchise sees a mutant community defend their right to existence in the face of a newly developed 'cure' which threatens to wipe them out.