Despite five openers making an entry in the UK top 15 chart at the weekend the battle for the top position was between two holdovers. Last week's leader Lara Croft: Tomb Raider dropped off 41% from its opening weekend to take $3.2m (£2.3m) from 446 sites in its second. This resulted in the UIP release relinquishing the number one spot to its stable-mate Shrek, which held the position prior to Tomb Raider's release. The computer-animated film dropped off just 14% from last week, showing three-day weekend figures of $3.9m (£2.8m) from 465 sites. Shrek's site average of $8,448 was the best of the weekend and the film has a total gross to date of $19.9m (£14.2m)

The highest opener of the week was Warner Bros' Pokemon 3, the latest in the children's animated franchise. Opening at number five, behind Evolution and Pearl Harbor, which both retained their previous week's positions with a mere 11% drop each, Pokemon 3 managed $366,218 (£261,480) from 175 sites.

However this figure included preview takingsof $121,940 (£87,065), without which it would have been placed after both Bridget Jones's Diary, which saw a 7% rise in takings at the weekend, and Warner's other opener Sweet November. Sweet November, a romantic drama starring Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron, debuted on 178 sites to take $279,525 (£199,581).

Metrodome scored an impressive site average, the best for any opener this week, from Lukas Moodysson's film Together (Tillsammans). The film took $98,115 (£70,054) from just 16 sites, giving a mighty $6,132 average. Other openers to make the chart were Eros International's AKS with $64,863 (£46,312) also at 16 sites, which took the number 13 spot just ahead of fellow Indian production Lagaan, and Pathe's Whipped which managed $58,515 (£41,780) from 29 sites.

As well as Bridget Jones's Diary two other British productions saw their three-day receipts rise on last week. BVI's Captain Corelli's Mandolin, currently at 12 in the chart, went up 13% and now has a total gross of $12.7m (£9.1m). FilmFour's re-release of Croupier just missed out on a chart place but scored $57,471 (£41,034) from 33 sites, five more than last week, to show a 24% week-on-week rise.