Milla Jovovich plays the survivor of a virus in Resident Evil: Extinction

Resident Evil: Extinction made $24m (�12m) between Friday and Sunday, according to studio estimates.

The film, starring Milla Jovovich and R&B singer Ashanti, is the third in the franchise based on the hit video games.

Jessica Alba's romantic comedy Good Luck Chuck was another new entry at number two, taking $14m (�7m).

It pushed last week's number one, Jodie Foster's revenge drama The Brave One, down to number three.

US AND CANADA TOP 10 FILMS 1. Resident Evil: Extinction, $24m 2. Good Luck Chuck (above), $14m 3. The Brave One, $7.4m 4. 3:10 to Yuma, $6.4m 5. Eastern Promises, $5.7m 6. Sydney White, $5.3m 7. Mr Woodcock, $5m 8. Superbad, $3.1m 9. The Bourne Ultimatum, $2.8m 10. Dragon Wars, $2.5m Source: Media by Numbers

The critically acclaimed remake of western 3:10 to Yuma, starring Russell Crowe, came next with $6.4m (�3.2m).

Fifth place went to Eastern Promises, David Cronenberg's London-set gangster thriller, which recently won the people's choice award at the Toronto Film Festival.

It was followed by Sydney White, a modern version of Snow White about a girl at sharing a house with seven geeks.

Mr Woodcock, Superbad, The Bourne Ultimatum and Dragon Wars completed the top 10.

A couple of possible Oscar contenders also saw high takings on limited release this weekend.

Into the Wild, Sean Penn's take on the story on a student who gave away his money and possessions and hitch-hiked to Alaska, took $207,000 (�102,000) in ticket sales from just four cinemas.

And The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, starring Brad Pitt as the legendary outlaw Jesse James, earned $144,000 (�71,000) from five cinemas.