Passion tops US Easter box office

The film has topped box office charts around the world

The Passion of the Christ has returned to the top of the US box office, boosted by Easter audiences.

The film took $17.1m (£9.3m) over the weekend, according to studio estimates, and is now the eighth most popular film of all time in North America.

Comic-book adaptation Hellboy slipped to second spot with $11.1m (£6m), while Disney's The Alamo and Johnson Family Vacation both took $9.2m (£5m).

The Alamo's third spot is seen as a poor return for a film costing £54m.

The Alamo, revolving around the ill-fated defence of a Texas fort which has become an American parable, had been viewed as a contender for the top spot.

The hit man sequel The Whole Ten Yards, starring Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry, opened at number eight with $6.7m (£3.6m), followed by the fairy-tale romance Ella Enchanted with $6.1m (£3.3m), and the teen romantic comedy The Girl Next Door with $6m (£3.1m).

The Passion, written and directed by Mel Gibson, has now taken $354.9m (£193m) at the North American box office.

The movie now is tipped to break the $400m mark and overtake Spider-Man as the fifth most popular film of all time in the US.