Spider-Man 3 has already broken box office records in Asia Spider-Man 3 clips

The film, starring Tobey Maguire, took �11.8m, twice the opening weekend take of recent big-grossing hit Hot Fuzz.

Bridge to Terabithia, about two lonely children who create an imaginary world, was in second with �1m.

Last week's chart topper Next, starring Nicholas Cage, fell to three with �0.4m, while road trip movie Wild Hogs also fell two places with �0.36m.

UK AND IRELAND TOP FIVE 1. Spider-Man 3 - �11.8m 2.Bridge to Terabithia - �1m (including previews) 3. Next - �0.4m 4. Wild Hogs - �0.4m 5. Fracture - 0.33m Source: Screen International

Courtroom drama Fracture, which has spent three weeks on the chart, rounded out the top five with box office receipts of �0.33m.

Former chart topper Mr Bean's Holiday, starring Rowan Atkinson as the hapless Mr Bean, made it six weeks in the chart at number six. It has taken a total of �21.1m so far.

Down two, at seven, was comedy Blades of Glory, with Will Ferrell and Jon Heder as a pair of rival figure skaters.

Eighth, also down two, was Alpha Dog with Justin Timberlake and Sharon Stone in a tale of teenage would-be gangsters from California.

Up two at nine was This is England the tale of an 11-year-old skinhead and an older neo-Nazi gang in the 1980s.

Tenth, down three places, was The Painted Veil - the story of a young English couple in the 1920s who find an unexpected chance of happiness during a journey to China.