its second weekend, when it grossed £577,000. Allen's biggest UK cumulative total to date is Midnight in Paris's £2.79m, so Warners will be hoping to push Blue Jasmine past that tally.

The director's last film, To Rome with Love, kicked off in the UK with £141,000 from 107 screens. Midnight in Paris was launched in 153 venues, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona achieved 175 locations at its widest point. Blue Jasmine was rolled out at the weekend into 188 cinemas, achieving a sturdy average of £4,435.

The flops

Kristen Wiig and Annette Bening in Girl Most Likely. Photo: Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar

To nobody's real surprise, quirky US comedy Girl Most Likely landed with a thump outside the top 10, with a poor £91,000 from 176 cinemas, and a £516 average. Despite appealing lead actorKristen Wiig, and an ensemble including Annette Bening, Matt Dillon and Glee's Darren Criss, the film never looked a likely winner. But the result is a spectacular triumph when compared to that of Austenland, which arrived with a dismal £12,400 from 94 venues, delivering a £135 average. The cast includes Keri Russell and Jennifer Coolidge.

In this context, the box office for glossy gambling thriller Runner Runner, starring Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck, qualifies as merely lacklustre: £765,000 from 433 cinemas.

September champ

Among September releases, Ron Howard's motor racing drama Rush crosses the finish line in first place with £6.54m, ahead of Richard Curtis's About Time (£6.26m) and Insidious 2 (£6.02m). Rush debuted mid-September in second place, behind Insidious 2 (£2.10m v £2.88m), rising to the chart summit a week