Diana makes limp debut at the UK box office as Rush rises to number one

Were cinemagoers put off by its critical drubbing?

The people's princess: Naomi Watts takes the title role in Oliver Hirschbiegel's biographical drama 'Diana'

Oliver Hirschbiegel's Princess Diana biopic failed to set the box office alight in its opening weekend, finishing in fifth place for the Friday-Sunday frame.

Diana, which was mauled by critics, took an estimated £623,051 over the three-day period. The Naomi Watts film's opening takings are lower than the £2.15m box office debut of The Iron Lady and the £856,000 debut of 2006's The Queen.

However, the film marked Hirschbiegel’s best-ever UK opening, according to Screen Daily. The Downfall director’s previous best of £233,000 came in 2007 with the release of The Invasion.

Topping the UK box office was James Hunt biopic Rush. It nabbed £1.34m for a total take of £4.7m. Last week's number one, Insidious: Chapter 2, lost more than 60 per cent of its audience to finish second with £1.1m.

White House Down and Richard Curtis's About Time finished third and fourth respectively, according to estimated figures.

Universal's R.I.P.D. grossed a small £505,000, though its performance fell in line with expectations following a poor showing in the US. There was happier news for the distributor as Despicable Me 2 took £220,000 for a running total of more than £46m, further extending its lead atop the 2013 overall chart.

Arthouse hit The Great Beauty nabbed a strong £96,395 for a total of £479,013.