Dinosaur also stole the show

Prehistoric adventure Dinosaur, also from Disney, wowed audiences by blending digitally enhanced live-action photography, special-effects with computer-generated characters.

At a cost of $200m (�136m), the movie broke records as the most expensive film made to date.

Sony's takings in the UK reached $123m (�82m), beating Japanese receipts of $115m (�76.5m).

But the booming US dollar and problems for the euro and other currencies have affected Hollywood's profits this year.

Both Disney and Sony emphasised that if box office receipts from their 2000 films were converted at 1999 exchange rates, their final tallies would be 15%-20% higher.

Stuart Little was liked by UK audiences

Industry newspaper Variety reports that overall foreign takings could increase to $6.5bn (�4.3bn) if returns from smaller "boutique" companies which handle foreign rights for films were counted.

But it adds that it is a hard figure to "pin down" because the companies can be reticent about releasing them if the films bomb.

Fox's final figure of $725m (�482m) put it in third place, down 29% from its 1999 takings which were boosted by Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

Its top earners included X-Men ($137m/�91m), What Lies Beneath ($120m/�80m) and The Beach ($103m/�68.5m).