Pearl Harbor fuels box office 'record'

Pearl Harbor was tipped to break the $100m barrier

Pearl Harbor took more than $75m (£53m) at US cinemas over the weekend, helping the overall US box office move towards an expected record.

The top 12 films in the US took $176.6m (£124.6m) and the box office as a whole during the country's Memorial Weekend is on course to beat last year's record of $183.7m (£129.6m).

US box office

1. Pearl Harbor

2. Shrek

3. The Mummy Returns

4. A Knight's Tale

5. Angel Eyes

Final figures will be released on Tuesday.

Pearl Harbor established the second biggest opening of all time, behind the $90.2m (£63.6m) gross for The Lost World in 1997.

Pundits

But the film did enjoy the biggest opening of any three-hour film and of any non-sequel.

Some pundits had tipped the film to break the $100m (£70m) barrier in its first four days.

The film's producer Jerry Bruckheimer said: "The competition always tries to raise expectations of the press, so that when the numbers come in all you can do is fail.

"For us this is an enormous success."

Animated film Shrek dropped to number two in the box office chart, taking $54.2m (£38.2m) while The Mummy Returns, at number three, took $19.1m (£13.4m).

The US box office is looking to enjoy its most successful year ever with Pearl Harbor, Shrek and The Mummy Returns all expected to pass the $200m (£140m) mark, equalling last year's record.

"This is just the beginning. It's going to be a big year," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracking firm, Exhibitor Relations.

Potential blockbusters, Jurassic Park III, Planet of the Apes and Tomb Raider are also released this Summer.

Pearl Harbor, starring Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale, focuses on a love story amid America's tumultuous entry in World War II.

The film opens in the UK on 1 June.