'Batman Begins' batters box office competition

The caped crusader is the London number one, while a slew of foreign films also do well over the weekend.

Jun 21 2005

Christopher Nolan's dark and disturbing take on the Batman legend left the competition flailing in its wake with a whopping £320,659 opening weekend.

Not even the capital's sweltering heatwave could prevent cinema-goers flocking to see the combined star-power of Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Katie Holmes and Sir Michael Caine in 'Batman Begins'.

And with a slew of fine reviews that will doubtless be followed by much positive word of mouth, expect this particular bat to have legs.

Trailing in its wake are the blockbuster triumvirate of 'Smith', 'Sin' and 'Sith', the big-budget action pics grossing £136,261, £52,421 and £44,001 respectively.

The next highest entry is a surprise, however, with the gentle South American comedy 'Bombón el Perro' grossing a very respectable £24,330 on just nine screens.

Indeed it's a good week all-round for foreign fare, with 'The Consequences of Love', 'Kings & Queen' and 'Parineeta' all inhabiting the lower reaches of the chart.

Elsewhere, the excellent adult drama 'We Don't Live Here Anymore' opens solidly at number seven, while 'The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse' looks like it will soon be over, with the gruesome foursome's horror-comedy dropping from five to ten.

Expect little to change next week, with the drama of 'Evil' and 'In My Father's Den' and the chop-socky genius of 'Kung Fu Hustle' unlikely to knock the winged one off the top spot.

And to see last week's box office, click here.