Claus crowns UK box office chart

Vince Vaughn (right) plays Santa Claus' mismatched brother

Seasonal comedy Fred Claus has made its debut at the top of the UK and Ireland box office chart.

The US film, starring Vince Vaughn with Paul Giamatti as Father Christmas, took £1.93m, leaving action thriller Hitman in second with revenue of £1.24m.

The production tells the tale of Santa Claus' wayward brother, who requires his famous sibling's help after being released from prison.

The only other new entry was The Assassination of Jesse James at 10.

Featuring Brad Pitt in the title role, it made a low debut owing to its limited opening weekend.

Wayward brother

The remainder of the top 10 slipped down the chart.

Last week's number one, American Gangster, dropped to number three after holding the top slot for a fortnight.

Beowulf, Stardust, animated hit Ratatouille and The Darjeeling Limited also fell to fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh respectively.

Good Luck Chuck and Irish film Shrooms followed behind in eighth and ninth.

The number two film Hitman - starring Timothy Olyphant and Dougray Scott - is a live-action production based on the computer game of the same name.