ALIENS - STATE OF PLAY THRILLS UK CINEMAGOERS TO TOP CHARTS

STATE OF PLAY THRILLS UK CINEMAGOERS TO TOP CHARTS

Political drama State of Play has topped the UK box office charts after its first weekend on release.

The Kevin MacDonald thriller, based on the acclaimed BBC drama series, took £1.5 million to knock last week's number one, Monsters vs Aliens, off the summit.

Starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck and Dame Helen Mirren, State of Play sees Crowe as a veteran reporter attempting to discover the truth behind the murder of a congressman's mistress.

Horror movie The Uninvited and dark comedy Observe and Report were the only other new entries in the UK and Ireland box office top 10, debuting at seven and eight, respectively.

However, satirical comedy In the Loop performed impressively and was the only film to climb the charts, rising from eighth to sixth.

The spin-off of Bafta-winning BBC comedy The Thick of It was screened at just 151 screens, less than half of its main rivals this weekend.

The top ten films in the UK are: (last week's position)

1 State of Play - £1.5 million (-)
2 Monsters vs Aliens - £1.08 million (1)
3 Fast & Furious - £1.05 million (2)
4 17 Again - £1.03 million (3)
5 I Love You, Man - £708,071 (4)
6 In the Loop - £348,998 (8)
7 The Uninvited - £343,378 (-)
8 Observe and Report - £326,479 (-)
9 Race to Witch Mountain - £250,250 (7)
10 The Boat That Rocked - £249,823 (6)