The latest UK gangster movie Snatch has stormed into the UK chart at number one with an impressive three-day gross of $3.85m (£2.6m).

Adding in paid previews of $800,000, the film's official opening gross reaches an impressive $4.6m - a new record for an 18-certificate film released in the UK.

Playing at 389 cinemas, Guy Ritchie's follow-up to Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, earned a site average of $11,934 and overshadowed X-Men's performance at number two in the chart. Bryan Singer's adaptation of the comic book grossed $1.7m from 455 sites on its third weekend on release.

The most recent highest grossing film with an 18-certificate is the Oscar-winning American Beauty distributed by UIP in January. After a platform release, its wide opening of $3.7m (£2.5m) from 311 sites fell just below Snatch's three-day takings, discounting all previews. Prior to that, the record opening for an adult film was Seven, another Brad Pitt title, which opened in January 1996 with $3.8m (£2.6m) from 312 sites.

Lock, Stock scooped $17.2m in 1998 becoming the second highest grossing British production of the year after Sliding Doors. The PolyGram film proved a slow burner after opening with $1.4m from 221 sites (August 28-30).

The only other opener to hit the Top 15 chart last weekend was the Cannes competition contender Nurse Betty, starring Renee Zellweger, which picked up $100,000 from 29 screens.