Cruise takes over UK box office

Aliens invade earth in War of the Worlds

Tom Cruise's War of the Worlds has topped the UK box office chart, taking £8.6m in its opening three days.

It knocked Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader, into second place.

Batman Begins took £1.3m over the weekend, taking its total UK takings to £12.1m since its release.

But the success of War of the Worlds failed to prevent the UK box office showing a slight slump on last year's revenue, a trend reflected worldwide.

UK AND EIRE BOX OFFICE CHART 1. War of the Worlds 2. Batman Begins 3. Mr and Mrs Smith 4. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith 5. A Lot Like Love Source: Screen International

Screen Daily reports that the second quarter of 2005 saw figures 1% down on last year, largely due to disappointing takings for April films including Sahara, The Ring 2 and The Wedding Date.

Sustained slump

Strong figures in May for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith ensured the drop was not more significant.

The US market has been showing a sustained downturn in 2005, with revenue down 19 weeks in a row on last year, the longest since box office records were tracked.

It is hoped the UK will bounce back from its second quarter slump, and build on its first quarter increasem of 13%.

Third in the UK box office chart was Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's Mr and Mrs Smith, with takings of £727,703.

Revenge of the Sith slipped one place to number four, followed by the romantic comedy A Lot Like Love.