The film has equalled the record for the fastest grossing USD100m movie in the US, previously held exclusively by Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.

The film played on a quarter of all US according to some analysts and took more than its competition combined but the records in both countries will face the wrath of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings next month.

One notable contender was Terry Zwigoff's Ghost World with Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson. Playing on only 40 screens Up West it managed a decent USD188,000 with a screen average of nearly five grand.