The winner

A comedy about British-born suicide bombers starring Riz Ahmed and Fonejacker prankster Kayvan Novak is by no means a sure thing at the UK box office. Hence, executives at Four Lions' backers Optimum posted messages of excitement and relief on Facebook over the weekend as the impressive numbers came rolling in: £609,000 from just 115 screens.

The site average of £5,292 was the highest of all the new releases, and double most of them. The result also compares favourably with the most obvious reference point: In the Loop (debut of £469,000 from 104 screens), released by Optimum in April 2009. The films share two writers – Jesse Armstrong and Simon Blackwell – and boast directors with reputations for edgy TV. But whereas Armando Iannucci's In the Loop benefited from brand value and cast elements from The Thick of It, Chris Morris's Four Lions began with a blank page. Clearly the Brass Eye creator's name, married to the controversial comedic concept, resonated with audiences. Four Lions is now set to expand on to significantly more screens.

UK top 10: 7-9 May
1. Iron Man 2, £3,214,776 from 522 sites. Total: £15,090,463
2. Furry Vengeance, £1,778,050 from 428 sites (New)
3. Nightmare On Elm Street, £1,342,837 from 354 sites (New)
4. Hot Tub Time Machine, £904,959 from 396 sites (New)
5. The Back-Up Plan, £710,201 from 279 sites (New)
6. Four Lions, £608,608 from 115 sites (New)
7. How to Train Your Dragon, £516,120 from 450 sites. Total: £16,405,622
8. The Last Song, £336,815 from 321 sites. Total: £1,552,278
9. Date Night, £336,345 from 330 sites. Total: £3,520,884
10. Clash of the Titans, £291,352 from 300 sites. Total: £19,938,794