StudioCanal thriller holds off Abduction, as well as The Phantom Of The Opera, The Debt and Shark Night 3D.

StudioCanal’s thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy made it three consecutive weeks at the head of the UK box office after grossing $1.7m (£1.1m) (for a company high $14.0m/£9.1m) from 465 locations at an average of £2,290.

During a particularly weak frame [unseasonably warm weather kept audiences out of cinemas], Tinker Tailor was the only film to cross £1m, with Lionsgate’s second-placed thriller Abduction faring best among the six top-15 newcomers.

Thriller Abduction took $1.4m (£900,782) ($297,416/£193,192 came from 308 previews) from 378 locations at a week-high screen average of £2,383. The film’s 12A rating was no-doubt important in securing lead Taylor Lautner’s Twilight fans.

The result was Lionsgate’s best since January when The Mechanic opened on $1.4m (£921,554). The distributor has had a lacklustre year to date and will be hoping Machine Gun Preacher and 50/50 can provide some cheer in November.

The surprise performance of the week came from Universal’s The Phantom Of The Opera (25th Anniversary Concert), a one-time live stream of a Royal Albert Hall concert of the famed musical, which took $848,186 (£550,955) from 255 screens in third place. The haul is among the biggest for a one-time live stream in the UK and further evidence of the growing market for event cinema.

The live stream beat out disappointing newcomers The Debt ($643,456/£417,977), Shark Night 3D ($641,598/£416,770) and What’s Your Number? ($493,134/£320,331), which managed a screen average of only $1,281 (£832).

Artificial Eye’s Melancholia took $203,828 (£132,437) from 58 screens at an average of $3,514 (£2,283). The result was director Lars Von Trier’s biggest opening in the UK, with the film playing on 17 more screens than previous best, Antichrist.

This week sees only two saturation releases for StudioCanal’s Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark and Universal’s Johnny English Reborn. There are wide releases for The Lion King 3D, Tyrannosaur and Warner’s Midnight In Paris.

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