Sandler plays an architect who can rewind and fast-forward his life

The romantic comedy, which co-stars Kate Beckinsale, tells of a man whose life is taken over by a remote control which can alter events around him.

Click took an estimated $40m (�22m) in the United States and Canada, twice as much as animated comedy Cars, which drops from number one to second place.

The other major release of the week, kidnap drama Waist Deep, came fourth.

It stars Tyrese Gibson as a former convict who is forced into robbery to pay a ransom for his kidnapped son.

It earned $9.5m (�5.2m) over Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

NORTH AMERICAN BOX OFFICE 1. Click 2. Cars 3. Nacho Libre 4. Waist Deep 5. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift 6. The Lake House 7. The Break-up 8. Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties 9. X-Men: The Last Stand 10. The Da Vinci Code Source: Exhibitor Relations Co Inc

This week's box office chart also saw Nacho Libre - the comedy in which Jack Black plays a cook who also wrestles - fall one place to third, generating $12.1m (�6.6m).

Down from number three to number five, with takings of $9.2m (�5m), was motor racing thriller The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

At the bottom of the list, dropping one place to number 10, was The Da Vinci Code, the adaptation of Dan Brown's religious novel.

It made $4m (�2.2m) over the weekend and has now become the second film in 2006 to earn more than $200m (�109.7m) in North America.