The Terminal sees Tom Hanks play a man who lives in an airport

Steven Spielberg's The Terminal, in which Hanks plays a man trapped by politics at a US airport, took �1.4m in its opening weekend of business.

The second highest new entry was Hellboy at three, which took �1.05m.

But there was disappointment for Iris director Richard Eyre's latest big screen venture, Stage Beauty, which took only �130,534 in its first week.

Costume drama Stage Beauty stars Claire Danes and Billy Crudup, as well as a host of British actors including Tom Wilkinson and Rupert Everett.

TOP FIVE UK & IRELAND FILMS 1. The Terminal 2. Dodgeball 3. Hellboy 4. The Village 5. The Bourne Supremacy Source: Screen International

There were high hopes it would emulate the success of Shakespeare in Love, but has so far failed to attract audiences.

Hellboy is the latest in a long line of cartoon hero adaptations, and stars Ron Perlman as a monster who is summoned by the Nazis - before he is rescued by the good guys and taught to fight evil.

The second instalment has already been commissioned and will once again be directed by Mexico's Guillermo del Toro.

Fourth in the UK box office chart was M Knight Shyamalan's supernatural thriller The Village, which took �692,507 over the weekend. Its total takings have now reached �8.6m.

This was followed in fifth place by action sequel The Bourne Supremacy which earned �547,864 over the three-day period.