'Captain America' takes $66m to top US box office

Captain America: The First Avengers has scored the highest superhero debut of the year, taking an estimated $65.8m in its opening weekend.

The Marvel Comics adaptation stars Chris Evans as the patriotic World War II superhero, and has so far been well-received by critics.

Last week's box-office record-breaker Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 falls to second place this weekend, taking $48.1m, followed by this summer's latest R-rated romantic comedy Friends with Benefits, which opened to $18.5m.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon took $12m, while Jason Bateman comedy Horrible Bosses rounds out the top five films with $11.7m.

Next weekend sees the release of Jon Favreau's long-awaited comic book adaptation Cowboys & Aliens, starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.

This week's US box office top ten in full (studio estimates):

1. (-) Captain America: The First Avenger - $65,800,000
2. (1) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - $48,100,000
3. (-) Friends with Benefits - $18,500,000
4. (2) Transformers: Dark of the Moon - $12,000,000
5. (3) Horrible Bosses - $11,720,000
6. (4) Zookeeper - $8,700,000
7. (5) Cars 2 - $5,725,000
8. (6) Winnie the Pooh - $5,140,000
9. (7) Bad Teacher - $2,600,000
10. (10) Midnight in Paris - $1,900,000

Watch the trailer for Captain America: The First Avenger below: