One Direction film This Is Us tops UK and US weekend box office

Teenage kicks: ‘One Direction – This Is Us’

British boy band One Direction have conquered both sides of the Atlantic with their documentary, This Is Us, topping both the UK and US box office at the weekend.

The 3D film, directed by Super Size Me’s Morgan Spurlock, grossed £3.5 million at the British box office and made $17 million (£10.9 million) in the US.

The documentary, which follows the boys on their latest world tour, however failed to beat the US box office openings for Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus’ films.

Hannah Montana/ Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert still holds the record for a 3D music documentary, having opened five years ago with $31.1 million (£20 million).

Canadian pop star Justin Bieber’s film Never Say Never enjoyed similar success, launching in North America in February 2011 with an opening of $29.5 million (£19 million).

The One Direction film will need to gross $70.6 million (£45 million) in total box office sales to knock Miley Cyrus off the top spot.

The five bandmembers, Harry, Niall, Louis, Liam and Zayn, first hit fame after appearing on The X Factor in 2010.

Despite coming third in the competition, the boy band was picked up by Simon Cowell and went on to sign a reported £2 million record deal with his record label Syco.

One Direction ‘broke America’ in 2012 when both of their albums Up All Night and Take Me Home topped the 200 Billboard chart. They also set a record to become the first British band to have their first two albums debut at the top of the US chart.

The Independent’s Anthony Quinn gave One Direction: This Is Us three stars, saying: “The five boys come over as polite, personable, hard-working and almost neurotically appreciative of the screaming girls who have made it all possible for them.”

Director Morgan Spurlock at the 'One Direction This Is Us' world premiere (Getty Images)