Jarhead captures box office crown

Jarhead actor Jake Gyllenhaal also stars in Brokeback Mountain

Sam Mendes' latest film Jarhead has gone straight to the top of the UK and Ireland box office chart in its first week of release.

The Gulf War film, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Foxx, toppled Peter Jackson's King Kong.

The monster movie remake slumped to five, just behind Golden Globes winner Brokeback Mountain which held steady at number four, taking £1.27m.

The other new entry was Memoirs of A Geisha, in at number six.

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, which has been in the box office top 10 for six weeks, remained at number two after taking £1.37m.

UK & IRELAND BOX OFFICE CHART 1 Jarhead (£1.92m) 2 The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (£1.37m) 3 Just Friends (£1.28m) 4 Brokeback Mountain (£1.27m) 5 King Kong (£1.27m) Source: Screen International

Anglo-Irish production Breakfast On Pluto, starring Cillian Murphy, entered the chart at 12, just ahead of Cry Wolf, also a new entry.

The longest-running film on the chart is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which has remained in the top 10 for nine weeks and taken a total of £48m in box office takings.

It was the most successful film of 2005 in the UK, in a year which saw cinema takings in the UK increase, bucking an international downward trend.

Brokeback Mountain, which has increased its profile after success at the Golden Globes, was released in 275 UK and Ireland cinemas last week - a relatively limited run compared to 390 cinemas for Jarhead.