BBC News Online: Entertainment: Film

About a Boy storms to top

Hugh Grant plays a childless, dissolute playboy

The bittersweet tale of a rich, idle north London man with no interest in children or achievement is adapted from a Nick Hornby novel and is also riding high in the bestseller lists.

It had the biggest opening of the year after Monsters Inc and Ocean's 11, according to Screen International.

The British-Asian football film about a girl's struggle to play took £1,233,315 on 384 screens, taking its gross over three weeks to a healthy £6,443,981.

But it could not hold off the Hugh Grant-vehicle, showcasing a new harder edge for the former fop.

The film has benefited from a heavy advertising drive and cross-publicity with Badly Drawn Boy's soundtrack and Nick Hornby's novel.

Hostage drama

Teen thriller Roadkill - starring Steve Zahn and Leelee Sobieski - also opened strongly with £784,843 across 407 screens leaving it at number four.

Denzel Washington's hostage drama-cum-attack on the US healthcare system - John Q - enjoyed only a moderate opening at number seven.

Mexican cult road picture Y Tu Mama Tambien stays at number 12 despite showing on only 41 screens nationwide.

It continues the interest in Mexican movies since the surprise success of Amores Perros last year.