Orlando Bloom plays a French blacksmith in the crusades

It took more than �2.5m between Friday and Sunday, knocking the film version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy off the top after just one week.

Kingdom of Heaven stars Orlando Bloom and has attracted controversy for its depiction of the 12th Century struggle between European crusaders and Muslims.

Action sequel xXx: State of the Union slipped one place to third.

Romantic comedy The Wedding Date stayed at number four while Nicole Kidman's The Interpreter dropped two places to five.

UK & IRELAND TOP FIVE 1. Kingdom of Heaven - �2.5m 2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (above) - �1.8m 3. xXx: State of the Union - �555,400 4. The Wedding Date - �529,100 5. The Interpreter - �508,700 Takings from Friday-Sunday. Source: Screen International

Kingdom of Heaven is the latest epic from Gladiator and Blade Runner director Sir Ridley Scott and also stars Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons and Edward Norton.

Dr Khaled Abou El Fadl, professor of Islamic law at the University of California, said the film promoted the idea of "a civilisational showdown between Islamic and Christian culture".

Cambridge professor Jonathan Riley-Smith dismissed the story as "Osama bin Laden's version of history".

But the director and some influential critics have vigorously defended it.

The film is also top of the US box office chart, taking $20m (�10.5m) over the weekend.

But that was seen as low for what Hollywood regards as the first weekend of the summer blockbuster season.