Los Angeles  - Action hero GI Joe battled to the top of the US box office over the weekend. GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra based on the popular action figures pulled in 56.2 million dollars in its opening weekend.

The comedy Julie and Julia directed by Nora Ephron earned 20 million dollars in its opening weekend for second place. The film stars Meryl Streep as celebrity chef Julia Child and Amy Adams as a blogger who attempts to cook through Child's entire cookbook in one year.

The animated guinea pigs of G-Force took third place with 9.8 million dollars, followed by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with 8.9 million dollars in its fourth weekend in cinemas. The latest installment based on the hit books by JK Rowling has earned a total of 274 million dollars.

Funny People from director Judd Apatow fell to fifth place with 7.9 million dollars after topping charts last week. (dpa)