The winner: Deadpool 2

Cinema operators faced a perfect storm of challenges, thanks to sunny skies, the royal wedding and the FA Cup final, with the result that almost every film fell by at least 50% from the previous session. In these circumstances, the opening number for Deadpool 2 is pretty impressive, even if the box office has softened from the debut weekend for the original Deadpool in February 2016.

Deadpool 2 opened in the UK with £7.72m for the weekend period, and £12.98m including takings on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That compares with a £9.97m opening weekend for Deadpool, and £13.73m including takings on Wednesday and Thursday – a five-day opening period rather than the six days selected by Fox for the sequel. Globally, Deadpool 2 kicked off with a nifty $300m. With a reported production budget of $110m – way below the likes of Avengers: Infinity War – Deadpool 2 will be a big earner.

The runner-up: Avengers: Infinity War

The arrival of Deadpool 2 took its toll on fellow Marvel property Avengers: Infinity War, which fell a rather steep 64% from the previous session, with weekend takings of £2.05m. With a gross of £64.1m so far, Infinity War now looks likely to peter out short of £70m. In 2017, the biggest hits at UK cinemas were Star Wars: The Last Jedi (£82.7m) and Beauty and the Beast (£72.4m). This year may yet produce a title to match those blockbusters, but it almost certainly won’t be Infinity War. Still, the Marvel hit is already the 13th-biggest film of all time at the UK box office, having recently overtaken all three of the Lord of the Rings movies and the first Harry Potter. These comparisons are in pure box office terms and are not adjusted for inflation.

The theatre event

Aside from Deadpool 2, the only other new entry in the Top 10 is An American in Paris – The Musical. A filmed version of the show played in cinemas on Wednesday, and was the No 2 title that day in the UK and Ireland, behind Deadpool 2, with £631,000 in box office. Encores on Sunday push the tally to £699,000.

The stage musical – based on the 1951 Vincente Minnelli-directed film, starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron – originated in Paris in 2014, transferred to Broadway a year later, and hit London’s West End in March 2017. A US national tour is ongoing.

The chart veteran: Secret Cinema

The UK market is showing very strong polarity, with Deadpool 2 sucking up a huge proportion of the total box office. Its weekend tally is a whopping 113 times the takings of the title in 10th place. The lack of mid-table hits means that Secret Cinema’s presentation of Blade Runner: The Final Cut, which essentially grosses the same amount every week, moves up to sixth place, its highest position so far. The event grossed £226,000 for the weekend period, and has now reached £3.09m after nine weeks. The show runs until 8 July.

The market

Overall, the market is 44% up on the previous session, and also a very handy 89% up on the equivalent weekend from 2017, when King Arthur: Legend of the Sword debuted disappointingly at the top spot. The good news for cinemas looks set to continue with the arrival of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Alternatives include canine-themed family comedy Show Dogs.

Top 10 films, 18-20 May

1. Deadpool 2, £12,974,669 from 636 sites (new)

2. Avengers: Infinity War, £2,047,469 from 616 sites. Total: £64,054,508 (four weeks)

3. Sherlock Gnomes, £710,170 from 575 sites. Total: £3,476,582 (two weeks)

4. I Feel Pretty, £407,904 from 479 sites. Total: £3,917,749 (three weeks)

5. Life of the Party, £226,704 from 414 sites. Total: £1,119,197 (two weeks)

6. Blade Runner: The Final Cut – Secret Cinema, £226,058 from one site. Total: £3,091,006 (nine weeks)

7. Breaking In, £160,272 from 305 sites. Total: £775,019 (two weeks)

8. A Quiet Place, £126,334 from 283 sites. Total: £11,634,986 (seven weeks)

9. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, £94,802 from 354 sites. Total: £5,327,792 (five weeks)

10. An American in Paris – The Musical, £68,201 from 100 sites. Total: £699,182 (two weeks)

Other openers

On Chesil Beach, £67,017 (including £10,194 previews) from 31 sites

Jeune Femme, £34,180 from 24 sites

Harjeeta, £10,990 from 16 sites

A Cambodian Spring, £8,042 from six sites

Filmworker, £7,589 from 16 sites

The Sound of Music, £6,105 from 10 sites (rerelease)

Citizen Lane, £4,680 from eight sites (Ireland only)

2001: A Space Odyssey, £4,646 from one site (rerelease)

Kaali, £3,478 from five sites

Dive, £751 from five sites

Udanchhoo, £132 from two sites

Allure, £29 from one site

• Thanks to comScore. All figures relate to takings in UK and Ireland cinemas.