VINCE VAUGHN - US IN FESTIVE MOOD AS FOUR CHRISTMASES STAYS AT NO 1

US IN FESTIVE MOOD AS FOUR CHRISTMASES STAYS AT NO 1

Seasonal comedy Four Christmases has remained at the top of the US box office charts for a second week, it has been confirmed.

The Vince Vaughn-Reese Witherspoon film took $18.2 million (£12.2 million) in its second week on release to retain the number one spot.

The New Line film - also number one in the UK - sees Vaughn and Witherspoon as a married couple forced to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas Day when their plans to escape on vacation go awry.

Vampire film Twilight and Disney cartoon Bolt swapped places, with the former climbing one place to second after its third weekend on release.

Two sequels to Twilight have already been given the go-ahead after it made a record-breaking debut across the Atlantic last month.

Australia, Baz Luhrmann's new epic starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, climbed one place to fifth in its second week in US cinemas, though the period drama is still some way short of recouping its $125 million (£83 million) budget.

The highest new entry of the week was action sequel Punisher: War Zone, which opened at number eight with $4 million (£2.7 million) following its opening weekend on release.

Beyonce Knowles' new film Cadillac Records, in which she plays music legend Etta James, took an impressive $3.5 million (£2.3 million) despite opening in just 686 cinemas.

The top ten films in the US are: (last week's position)

1 Four Christmases - $18.2 million (1)
2 Twilight - $13.2 million (3)
3 Bolt - $9.7 million (2)
4 Australia - $7 million (5)
5 Quantum of Solace - $6.6 million (4)
6 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - $5.1 million (6)
7 Transporter 3 - $4.5 million (7)
8 Punisher: War Zone - $4 million (-)
9 Cadillac Records - $3.5 million (-)
10 Role Models - $2.6 million (8)