Superhero spin-offs and sequels dominate UK cinema top 10

Bohemian Rhapsody is one of only two "stand-alone" films in the Top 10

Sequels, spin-offs and franchises took over the UK and Ireland box office chart last year - with only two stand-alone films making the top 10.

Avengers: Infinity War - one of four films in the top 10 about superheroes - tops the chart with takings of £70.8m.

Second and third spot went to Abba musical Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (£65.5m) and Incredibles 2 (£56.2m).

The only two stand-alone films to make the grade were Peter Rabbit (£41.1m) and Bohemian Rhapsody (£52m).

The former was based on the stories of Beatrix Potter, while the latter is an Oscar-nominated biopic about the career of rock group Queen.

UK and Ireland box office 2018 Top 10

1. Avengers: Infinity War (£70.8m)

2. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (£65.5m)

3. Incredibles 2 (£56.2m)

4. Bohemian Rhapsody (£52m)

5. Black Panther (£50.6m)

6. Mary Poppins Returns (£42.1m)

7. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (£41.6m)

8. Peter Rabbit (£41.1m)

9. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (£34m)

10. Deadpool 2 (32.7m)

Films about Marvel superheroes feature heavily in the top 10, with Screen Actors Guild award-winner Black Panther (£50.6m) and the Ryan Reynolds vehicle Deadpool 2 (£32.7m) landing in fifth and 10th place respectively.

There was no place in the top 10 for Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible - Fallout or the most recent film in the Star Wars franchise, Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again made £65.5m in the UK

The figures, released by the British Film Institute (BFI), revealed that Darkest Hour, which starred Gary Oldman in an Oscar-winning performance as Winston Churchill, was the highest placed independent UK film at number 14 (£24.1m).

The UK and Republic of Ireland are considered a single "territory" for film distribution purposes.