Shark Tale features the aquatic mafia

The cartoon, which features the voices of Robert De Niro and Will Smith, has already proved a hit in the US, spending three weeks at the top.

US comedy White Chicks opened in second place in the UK chart, but with much lower takings of �884,955.

The only other new entry in the top 10 was British drama Inside I'm Dancing.

The film, which has caused controversy because it uses able-bodied actors to play the disabled characters, took �218,006 to make it the 10th most popular film of the week.

UK AND EIRE TOP FIVE 1. Shark Tale 2. White Chicks 3. Saw 4. Bride and Prejudice 5. Layer Cake

US low-budget horror Saw slipped from second place to third, with weekend takings of �865,895.

Its total takings of �4.5m have been boosted by reviews of its high fear factor, drawing comparisons to the hit movie Seven.

Last week's number one, the lavish Bollywood-style Bride and Prejudice, fell to number four, bringing its total takings so far to �3.2m.

In fifth place was the British gangster movie Layer Cake, starring Daniel Craig and Sienna Miller.