Fox's incredible run of form continued as the comedy spoof Epic Movie opened atop the charts on an estimated $19.2m, beating out Universal's crime caper Smokin' Aces in second place on $14.3m.

Epic Movie, which stars Kal Penn and Carmen Electra and pokes fun at movies from Superman Returns to Lord Of The Rings, is already looking like a profitable enterprise after grossing as much as it cost to make in its first three days.

Meanwhile stablemate Night At The Museum fell one place to third on $9.5m, bringing its total gross to a mighty $216.7m after six weekends.

Smokin' Aces from Narc director Joe Carnahan stars Ben Affleck, Alicia Keys, Jeremy Piven and Jason Bateman in the tale of a witness who incurs the wrath of the Mob when he threatens to testify.

Opening in fourth place was Sony's romantic comedy Catch And Release starring Jennifer Garner as a grieving fiance who comes to learn some surprising things about her former lover. Timothy Olyphant, Kevin Smith and Juliette Lewis also star.

Last weekend's champion Stomp The Yard tumbled four places to fifth but stands at an impressive $50.7m after three.

Several films benefited from Oscar nominations. Dreamgirls kept on rolling for Paramount, ranking sixth on $86.7m after seven, while Pan's Labyrinth, released in North America through Picturehouse, added $4.5m from 823 screens to rank eighth on $16.3m after five.

The Queen, which Miramax is releasing domestically, ranks ninth on $41.2m after 18 weekends.

Estimated Top Ten North America Jan 26-28, 2006
Film (Distributor)/International distribution/Estimated weekend gross/Estimated total to date
1 (-) Epic Movie (Fox) Fox Int'l $19.2m -
2 (-) Smokin' Aces (Universal) UPI $14.3m -
3 (2) Night At The Museum (Fox) Fox Int'l $9.5m $216.7m
4 (-) Catch And Release (Sony) SPRI $8m -
5 (1) Stomp The Yard (Screen Gems) SPRI $7.8m $50.7m
6 (3) Dreamgirls (Paramount) PPI $6.6m $86.7m
7 (5) The Pursuit of Happyness (Sony) SPRI $5m $152.9m
8 (7) Pan's Labyrinth (Picturehouse) Wild Bunch $4.5m $16.3m
9 (9) The Queen (Miramax) Pathe $4m $41.2m
10 (4) The Hitcher (Rogue) Focus Features International $3.6m $13.4m

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