SIMON PEGG - PEGG RUNS TO TOP OF CHARTS

Simon Pegg's Run, Fat Boy, Run has stormed to the top of the UK box office charts, beating Keira Knightley's Atonement in the process.

The fast-paced rom-com gained £2 million in its first weekend of showing, while the Ian McEwan film adaptation could only take £1.6 million.

Knightley's performance in Atonement has met with mixed reviews from many critics, although her co-star James McAvoy has been widely praised.

According to the figures by Screen International, Run, Fat Boy, Run – which was the directorial debut of former Friends star David Schwimmer – took an average of almost £5,000 from the 413 cinemas it was screened in.

In contrast, Atonement took an average of just under £4,000 from its 411 venues.

The Bourne Ultimatum held on to third spot with total revenue of £1.1 million, having been on top of the pile last week and been on release for almost a month.

Seth Rogen comedy Knocked Up was in fourth place with just over £750,000 in takings, followed by horror 1408, starring John Cusack and Samuel L Jackson, with marginally above £500,000.

But despite a wealth of recent new releases, summer blockbusters The Simpsons Movie, Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix and Transformers have all held on to their places in the top ten, at sixth, eighth and tenth respectively.