Sony Pictures Releasing's (SPR) Hitchentered the charts at the top of the pile with an impressive $11,145 screenaverage from its 796 screens and became the first release so far this year tohave attracted more than 1m cinema-goers in its first weekend. SPR also proudlyreported that the Will Smith comedy garnered a market share of 45% of all theattendances during that four-day period.

Meanwhile, Senator Film was given a boostby the promising opening of Wolfgang Murnberger's dark thriller Silentium withthe weekend's second best screen average - $ 4,603 - from 62 prints, whileConstantin Film took just over $ 1m for its horror film The Grudgeentering the Top 15 at No. 5.