Hunger Games holds off Titans sequel challenge

The Hunger Games (l) made more in its second weekend than Wrath of the Titans (r) did in its first

Dystopian sci-fi The Hunger Games has held off fantasy sequel Wrath of the Titans to retain pole position in the UK and Ireland box office chart.

Its second weekend takings of £2.98 million put it ahead of the Clash of the Titans follow-up, which made £2.19 million between Friday and Sunday.

Aardman animation The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists took third place with £2.17 million.

That includes takings from two days of previews on Wednesday and Thursday.

Action comedy 21 Jump Street came fourth in this week's chart, one place ahead of new release Streetdance 2.

Its debut weekend takings of £608,024 were modest compared to its predecessor, which topped the countdown in May 2010 with an opening haul of £2.49 million.

Based on the Suzanne Collins bestseller, The Hunger Games has now made more than £9.85 million at UK and Ireland cinemas.

The futuristic thriller, which tells of young people participating in a televised survival contest, is also the top title in the US and Canada.