Gerard Butler's action thriller Olympus Has Fallen has shot to the top of the U.K. box office after pulling in $3.7 million (£2.3 million) in its first weekend (19-21Apr13) on release.

The blockbuster, which stars Butler as a Secret Service agent protecting the White House from a terrorist threat, pushed Tom Cruise's Oblivion into second place.

The sci-fi thriller brought in weekend takings of $2.7 million (£1.7 million), ahead of horror reboot Evil Dead, which debuted at three with ticket sales of $2.2 million (£1.4 million).

Animated family film The Croods was in fourth with $1.1 million (£679,000), while Ryan Gosling's crime drama The Place Beyond the Pines rounded out the top five with $930,000 (£581,000).