It came as no great surprise last weekend when 20th Century Fox opened the latest film in the Star Wars saga, Episode II - Attack Of The Clones, to massive results and the number one spot in the UK.

The four day opening scored $16.6m (£11.4m) from 467 sites in the territory and landed the second-highest opening in UK box office history - behind the launch of Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone ($23.9m including previews) in November last year and ahead of the five-day opening for The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring ($16.1m) in December last year.

Over the three-day weekend Episode II grossed a massive $13.2m (£9.1m), accounting for 70% of the entire weekend box office takings of $18.96m (£12.99m). Box office for the weekend was up 31% on the same weekend last year when The Mummy Returns opened in the top spot with $8.66m (£9.9m) at 454 sites.

Episode II boasted a massive site average of $28,348, higher than the first three-day weekend averages of either Rings ($22,683 at 470 sites) or Harry Potter ($27,643 at 507).

Of the foreign language titles that were all that was put up against Fox's behemoth Artificial Eye's I'm Going Home (Je Rentre A La Maison) played well on just one screen to gross $6,555 (£4,490). Also performing with gusto was French comedy The Closet (Le Placard) for Optimum Releasing. The film, which stars Daniel Auteuil and Gerard Depardieu, took $111,527 (£76,396) from 24 sites, landing 11th position and a strong $4,647 site average.

Unfortunately Momentum Pictures' No Man's Land, which won an Academy Award for best foreign film in March this year, fared less well taking $43,720 (£29,948). Playing at 17 sites the film scored a so-so site average of $2,572.

Two British production, UIP's About A Boy and Helkon SK's Bend It Like Beckham, held up well to the Star Wars onslaught. About A Boy dropped just 31% to second place in its fourth week on release taking $1.5m (£1.05m) at 453 sites, bringing its total gross to $18.2m. Beckham fell off a mere 21%, holding fourth position with $707,707 (£484,779) over the weekend from 285 sites and boosting its tally to $14.1m.

However last week's British opener, Pathe's Dog Soldiers, dropped 48% to fifth in the chart. The film managed $520,404 (£356,477) from 303 sites over its second weekend for a weak average of $1,718.

The top five was rounded out by Columbia TriStar's Panic Room at three. Its weekend take of $1.2m (£847,476) bringing the David Fincher thriller's total to $8.75m after three weeks on release.