The Texas Chainsaw Massacre opened at number one at the Italian box office, grossing a solid $1.4m for local powerhouse Eagle Pictures, scoring a strong screen average of $4,828.

Another Hollywood movie, police action thriller S.W.A.T. also opened on a high, grossing $956,570 for Columbia Tristar from 245 screens.

New opener Fanfan La Tulipe, starring Penelope Cruz and Vincent Perez, opened on a timid note in thirteenth place. Distributed by Rai Cinema label 01, the period swashbuckler grossed $151,470 from 120 screens, with a screen average of $1,262.

Meanwhile, 01's local hit Caterina In The City continued its strong run at the box office. The comedy, about a 13-year-old girl who moves with her parents from the provinces to Rome, earned a further $164,101 from 69 screens, bringing its running total to $4,136,941.

The only other Italian film in the top 20, veteran auteur Ermanno Olmi's Singing Behind The Screens, earned $39,920 over the weekend, pushing its total for Mikado after six weeks to a somewhat disappointing $1.15m.