Superbad is the latest hit comedy from producer Judd Apatow

High school comedy Superbad led the charge, topping the chart for a second week with takings of $18m (£8.91m).

Mr Bean's Holiday, Rowan Atkinson's latest outing as the goofy character, made its debut at four behind The Bourne Ultimatum and Rush Hour 3.

Action thriller War and The Nanny Diaries starring Scarlett Johansson were also new entries.

The Simpsons Movie. Stardust, Hairspray and The Invasion complete the top 10 line-up.

TOP FIVE NORTH AMERICAN FILMS 1 Superbad - $18m 2 The Bourne Ultimatum - $12.4m (pictured) 3 Rush Hour 3- $12.3m 4 Mr Bean's Holiday - $10.1m 5 War - $10m Figures cover Friday-Sunday Source: Media By Numbers

Box office analysts Media By Numbers say the $4bn figure outclasses summer ticket sales of $3.95bn (£1.95bn) set in 2004.

Their estimates suggest that this summer's box office returns will stand at $4.15bn (£2.05bn) by the time the season officially ends on 3 September.

But they added that actual summer ticket sales are expected to be about 606m, only the sixth-best in modern times.

The best season in recent times was in 2002, when 653.4m cinema tickets were sold.

"Whether it be sequels, originals, comedies or action movies, this particular mix of films brought in audiences in a record-breaking way," said Paul Dergarabedian, Media By Numbers president, referring to the summer's cinematic offerings.