Crowe and Mirren top British box office

LONDON (Reuters) - Russell Crowe and Helen Mirren topped the British box office with political thriller "State of Play" after the film's opening weekend but takings were modest, according to Screen International on Tuesday.

The story of an investigative reporter who exposes corruption in high places earned only 1.5 million pounds ($2.19 million), a relatively small take in Britain for such a highly publicized, big-name picture on its debut.

By contrast, "Monsters Vs Aliens," last week's No. 1 and now down in second place, took 4.34 million pounds on its opening weekend and has so far grossed 18.8 million during its month in the UK charts.

Another big earner, car-chase thriller "Fast and Furious" with Vin Diesel, which made 4.9 million pounds in its opening weekend, was down one place at three.

Teen comedy "17 Again" slipped from three to four with Matthew Perry as a middle-aged man morphing into Zac Efron as his former 17-year-old self.

"I Love You, Man," a romantic comedy with Paul Rudd as a geeky estate agent looking for a cool buddy, was down one place at five.

Up two at six was director Armando Iannucci's political satire "In the Loop" -- a satirical look at spin and posturing in the corridors of power of London and Washington just before the Iraq War.

Horror thriller "The Uninvited" was new at seven with Emily Browning looking for clues to her mother's mysterious death.

Another newcomer, making its debut in eighth spot was "Observe and Report," a black comedy involving a security guard on the trail of shopping mall villains -- the second such plot to have featured in the UK charts this month after "Paul Blart: Mall Cop."