Danny Boyle's latest film, 28 Days Later, has taken top place in the UK box office charts. The horror picture - which began screening previews on Halloween last Thursday - took £1.5m from 318 cinemas around the country. In London's West End alone, the film took in £132,605.

The film reunites the writer (Alex Garland), director (Boyle) and producer (Andrew MacDonald) of The Beach. Christopher Eccleston and Cillian Murphy play two of the very few survivors of a virus released by animal rights activists upon an unsuspecting British public. The virus locks those infected into a state of murderous rage, and wipes out most of the population.

As Screen Daily reports, the film's takings are even more remarkable because the film has an 18 certificate. Its competitors for the top spot at the box office - Lilo & Stitch and Vin Diesel's XXX - had U and 12A ratings, respectively.