Steve Martin and Queen Latifah make an odd couple

The Disney movie took $31.7m (�19.8m) in its opening weekend, knocking Jet Li's Cradle to the Grave from the number one position down to number six.

Bringing Down the House plays on race issues as Oscar-nominee Latifah's character escapes from jail to be with a man she meets on the internet - who turns out to be a lawyer played by Steve Martin.

Despite the threat of war the gritty Bruce Willis war movie Tears of the Sun proved a popular choice, taking $17.2m (�10.7m) in its first three days to place it at number two.

"You look at the top two movies and they couldn't be more different. For the past few weeks it's been all about escapism at the movies in the top five," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

US/Canada top five 1. Bringing Down the House 2.Tears of the Sun 3. Old School 4. Chicago 5. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days Source: Exhibitor Relations

"Tears of the Sun is decidedly not escapist, but still - as an R-rated very intense movie that considering the world situation is pretty timely - $17.2m is very strong for that film," he added.

Old School, starring Vince Vaughan and Luke Wilson, slipped from number two to three, with weekend takings of $9.2m (�5.7m)

Chicago's awards and its good prospects at the Oscars are helping that movie's longevity.

After 11 weeks it is still a strong draw, taking $6.9m (�4.3m) for the number four spot.

Former number one How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days completes the top five, while superhero blockbuster Daredevil is at number seven.