Political thriller V for Vendetta, starring Natalie Portman, has topped the North American box office chart in its opening week.
The film was produced by the Wachowski brothers, who made The Matrix. It took $26.1m (£14.8m) over the weekend.
Based on a graphic novel by British writer Alan Moore, V for Vendetta has received mixed reviews from critics.
Romantic comedy Failure to Launch, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, slipped to number two with $15.8m (£8.9m).
TOP FIVE FILMS IN US/CANADA
Disney's The Shaggy Dog, romantic comedy She's The Man and horror remake The Hills Have Eyes complete the top five.
Thank You For Smoking, a tobacco-industry satire, took $260,100 from a limited release in just five theatres.
Starring Aaron Eckhart and Maria Bello, the film made an average of $52,000 (£29,600) per screen compared with $7,800 (£4,400) for V for Vendetta.
Directed by Jason Reitman - the son of Ghostbusters' Ivan Reitman, Thank You For Smoking goes on nationwide release across the US on 7 April.
Overall box office revenue continued a month-long decline, with the top 12 films taking $93.8 million (£53.4m) - down 11% compared with the same weekend last year.
The Pink Panther, which opened to dire reviews, dominates box office takings outside the US and Canada with an estimated $12.3m (£6.9m) weekend total, according to industry publication Screen Daily.
The comedy remake, starring Steve Martin, topped the UK charts with a £2m debut, ahead of V for Vendetta in second place, with £1.19m.
The Pink Panther has so far made $47.3m (£26.9m) outside the US.
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