Robert De Niro lends his voice to Shark Tale

It kept Billy Bob Thornton's high school football film Friday Night Lights off the top.

Firefighting drama Ladder 49, starring Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta, slipped one to number three, taking $13.3m (�7.4m) over three days.

In fourth position was the Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah comedy Taxi.

Teen actress Hilary Duff managed a number six entry with her latest movie Raise Your Voice, in which she plays a girl who pursues her music dreams.

The film, the second starring role of the year for the 16-year-old actress-turned-singer, took $4.6m (�2.5m) in its opening weekend.

The supernatural thriller The Forgotten, featuring Julianne Moore, fell from third to fifth position.

US AND CANADA BOX OFFICE TOP FIVE 1. Shark Tale 2. Friday Night Lights (above) 3. Ladder 49 4. Taxi 5. The Forgotten Source: Exhibitor Relations

The British horror comedy Shaun of the Dead continues to entertain audiences, taking $1.8m (�1m) over the weekend, making it the eighth most popular film of the week.

The Motorcycle Diaries, about the early travels of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, broke into the top 10 after it received a wider release, taking $1.4m (�779,923).

Shark Tale, featuring the voices of Will Smith and Robert De Niro, has taken $87.7m (�48.8M) since its release 10 days ago. It has yet to have its worldwide release.

The success of Friday Night Lights, with takings of $20m (�11.1m) in its opening weekend, has been attributed to its good reviews.

Based on HG "Buzz" Bissinger's 1990 bestseller, Billy Bob Thornton plays Permian High School football coach Gary Gaines as he guides his team toward a championship run in 1988.

"You can really attribute the gross on Friday Night Lights to the strong reviews," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.