Fantasy film X-Men Origins: Wolverine has snarled to the top of the UK and Ireland box office chart, making £6.6m in its first five days on release.
The total, which includes two days of previews, is three times what Hannah Montana: The Movie, its nearest rival, took between Friday and Sunday.
Hugh Jackman’s blockbuster, a prequel to the X-Men trilogy, is also the top film in the US and Canada.
State of Play, last week’s UK number one, drops down to third place.
However, its second weekend takings of £0.98m still put it ahead of romantic comedy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, which entered at four.
Zac Efron’s body swap comedy 17 Again is in fifth place, with animated adventure Monsters vs Aliens falling four places to six.
Action sequel Fast & Furious, the comedies I Love You,
Man and In the Loop and horror remake The Uninvited round out this week’s Top 10.
The only other new release in this week’s chart is Sir Michael Caine’s comedy drama Is Anyone There?
That question might well have been asked in the country’s cinemas, where the British film took a disappointing £123,309, landing at number 11.
This Friday sees the UK release of the eagerly anticipated Star Trek which, like the Wolverine film, is an origins story based on a much-loved original.
However, JJ Abrams’ film may face competition from Coraline, a stop-motion animation showing in digital 3D in selected cinemas.