Denzel Washington's Inside Man Tops UK Box

Denzel Washington's Inside Man has entered the UK box office at number one, Screen International has said.The thriller, which is also the top film in the US and Canada, took £1.81m in its opening three days.

Inside Man tells the story of a Manhattan hostage negotiator, played by Washington, who tries to outsmart a gang of robbers. The film, directed by Spike Lee, also stars Clive Owen, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe and Jodie Foster.

Eli Roth's low-budget horror movie Hostel debuted at number two with ticket sales of £1.2m.

Hostel, which cost about £2.5m to make, follows two American backpackers who travel to a Slovakian city and end up as captives in a chamber of torture.

Last week's No.1 film, comedy sequel The Pink Panther, dropped two places to third.

Political thriller V for Vendetta, featuring Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving, also slipped two spots to fourth. Comedy The Ringer, which stars Johnny Knoxville and Janna Ambort, entered the UK chart at number five.

Other films in the top ten included George Clooney's Syriana and Walt Disney's Chicken Little.