MORE than twice as many people packed London's Leicester Square last

night for a glimpse of showbiz couple Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh

as had turned out for the opening of the highly publicised dinosaur film

Jurassic Park.

Thompson and Branagh were in London for the premiere of their version

of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.

The venue, the Empire, was the same cinema which had hosted the

opening of Jurassic Park just six weeks earlier.

One of the stars of Much Ado About Nothing, Richard Briers, joked:

''This is a lovely film but it will never be able to compete with

Jurassic Park.''

Leading lady Thompson, 33, said: ''I hope all those people waiting

outside actually come and see the film because that way it's sure to be

a hit.''

Thompson won an Oscar this year as best actress for Howards End. But

she was not looking to make it a double with the film Branagh produced,

directed, and starred in.

''This isn't an Oscar-winning performance -- and besides it's not a

competition,'' she said.

The crowds gave her a huge ovation as she arrived, dressed in a pale

green trouser suit. She and Branagh, 32, paused to speak to fans who had

been queuing for several hours to see them.

Celebrity guests at the charity premiere in aid of the Family Service

Unit included model Marie Helvin, actor Anthony Andrews, and comic

Stephen Fry, who brought his mother Marianne and father Alan.

Fry, who co-starred with Branagh and Thompson in their last film,

Peter's Friends, said he thought Branagh had an instant classic on his

hands, adding: ''After about 30 seconds, you forget you are listening to

Shakespeare, you can't actually believe he hasn't re-written the text

because it sounds so up to date.''

Branagh said of the film: ''The play is one of the greatest romantic

comedies ever written -- comic, lusty, and full-blooded.''

Lord Attenborough, one of the stars of Jurassic Park, said he hoped

Much Ado About Nothing would take as much money at the box office as the

dinosaur epic.

''This is not stodgy, stuffy, dusty Shakespeare. It's modern and

exciting. In fact, I think I've just described Jurassic Park.''

Afterwards, guests were going to a party at Planet Hollywood, the

restaurant owned by actors Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger and

Sylvester Stallone.