Hellboy topples Batman from top of box office

LONDON (Reuters) - Crimson-skinned superhero Hellboy has booted caped crusader Batman from the top of the cinema box office, Screen International said on Tuesday.

"Hellboy II: The Golden Army," starring Ron Perlman as a cigar-chomping demon who fights evil, debuted with a ticket haul of just under 3 million pounds over the weekend including Friday.

Blockbuster Batman sequel "The Dark Knight" slipped to fourth place after a four-week run in pole position that raked in a total of 43.5 million pounds.

Steady in second place after seven weeks on release was Abba musical "Mamma Mia", starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan, earning an even larger pot of 50.3 million pounds from Britain's cinema-goers.

Opening in third place was spy spoof "Get Smart", starring Steve Carell, a remake of the classic television show.

Hairdresser comedy "You Don't Mess With The Zohan" slid two places to number five, while action adventure "The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor" was also down two slots in sixth place.

Teen comedy "Wild Child", featuring Emma Roberts as a spoilt Californian brat packed off to an English boarding school, was two lower at number seven.

The last three places in the top ten were all taken by animated films, with Pixar's "Wall-E" down two at eight, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" three lower at number nine and galactic rescue mission "Space Chimps" slipping two slots to tenth place.

(Reporting by Tim Castle)