The Inbetweeners 2 becomes UK's biggest film hit of 2014

The Inbetweeners 2 has scored the biggest box office opening of the year so far, taking £12.5m at UK and Irish cinemas since its release on Wednesday.

That includes the £2.7m it earned on its opening night, a first-night record for a comedy film.

But the film failed to beat the takings of the first Inbetweeners movie, which opened with £13.2m in 2011.

The sequel follows the exploits of friends Will, Simon, Jay and Neil as they reunite in Australia.

The previous biggest opening of 2014 was Transformers: Age of Extinction, which took £11.7m in previews and its opening weekend in July.

Meanwhile, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came out on top in the US and Canada, taking $65m (£38.7m) at box offices between Friday and Sunday, according to studio estimates.

Paramount, the studio behind the action film, immediately announced plans for a sequel, which will be released in 2016.

Paramount's Megan Colligan said the film's success was due to two different groups - those who remembered the original 1980s and 90s franchise and children who watched the recent Nickelodeon cartoon series.

"It's odd when you have 25 to 35-year-olds and then seven to 12-year-olds really excited about the same film," she said.

"The teen audience was actually the one that wasn't as familiar with the property, so we put a lot of focus on teens."

In North America, Guardians of the Galaxy dropped to second place, taking $41.5m (£24.7m).

Disaster film Into the Storm, starring Richard Armitage, took third place with $18m (£10.7m). Disney drama The Hundred-Foot Journey, starring Helen Mirren, was fourth with $11.1m (£6.6m).