DANIEL CRAIG - CRAIG AND KIDMAN DELIVER FLOP

CRAIG AND KIDMAN DELIVER FLOP

A new sci-fi film starring Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman has flopped at the US box office in spite of the presence of the two stars, according to its producers.

The Invasion, which is based on the renowned sci-fi novel The Body Snatchers, by Jack Finney, grossed $6 million (£3 million) in its opening weekend - which disappointed its studio.

Speaking about the film's performance to Variety magazine, Warner Brothers' executive vice-president of distribution Jeff Goldstein said: "We were hoping for an audience that didn’t come."

The film, which features Kidman as a psychiatrist who fears being infected by a virus from space, is the fourth big screen version of the book and cost $80 million (£40.4 million) to make, according to the magazine.

In other news, teen comedy Superbad displaced Rush Hour 3 as the top film at American cinemas this weekend.

The R-rated comedy about a trio of adolescents' adventures with girls and alcohol grossed $31.2 million (£15.74 million) in its first three days of release.

Producer Judd Apatow, whose successes include films such as Knocked Up and The Forty-Year-Old Virgin, said that the movie had done well in spite of fears that its rating would prevent the film from finding an audience.

"It’s hard to make a great comedy with a PG rating if you have adult subject matter - even immature subject matter.

"The R rating allows you to make jokes that reveal characters in an honest way. This is how a lot of young people talk, and if I was trying to dance around that, it would be a terrible movie,” he added.

Action film Rush Hour 3 came in second this week with earnings of $21.8 million (£11 million). The Bourne Ultimatum completed the top three this week with $19 million (£9.58 million) in takings.