There’s no doubt about the identity of the summer’s box-office sensation. Everybody expected Toy Story 3 to do well, but the Pixar film has exceeded the expectations of even the most bullish tipsters. The picture took only three weeks to pass out Shrek 2 for the title of most successful animated feature at the combined UK and Ireland box office.

At time of writing, the film (€78 million and rising) had just crept past The Return of the King and The Fellowship of the Ring to secure fifth place in the all-time chart for these territories. Though TS3 is still making money, it seems unlikely to pass Avatar to gain the No 1 spot. Either second or third place does, however, look possible.