Jumper tells of young men with the power to teleport themselves

Its opening weekend takings of �3.06m means it is now the top-earning movie on both sides of the Atlantic.

Jack Nicholson comedy The Bucket List proved less attractive to cinemagoers, however, making its debut in sixth place with weekend takings of �602,248.

Last week's chart topper, Nicolas Cage action sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets, falls down a place to two.

Teen pregnancy comedy Juno also dropped a place to three, with children's film, The Water Horse, climbing one place to four.

Bollywood romance Jodhaa Akbar was the only other new entry in this week's top 10, appearing in tenth place with weekend takings of �365,785.

UK AND IRELAND BOX OFFICE 1. Jumper - �3.06m 2. National Treasure: Book of Secrets - �1.49m 3. Juno - �1.34m 4. The Water Horse - �0.79m 5. Cloverfield - �0.71m Source: Screen International

On a screen-for-screen basis, though, it was the week's most popular title - despite playing at just 46 sites.

Jumper tells of a young man, played by Christensen, who has the power to teleport himself across the globe.

Its director, Doug Liman, previously began the Jason Bourne franchise with 2002 thriller The Bourne Identity.

Oscar contender There Will Be Blood climbed from 11th to seventh place after opening nationwide.

The Daniel Day-Lewis drama had previously only been playing in central London.

This week sees the release of Jack Black comedy, Be Kind Rewind, and the latest instalment in Sylvester Stallone's Rambo series.