Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe's new real-life crime drama has stunned America with an amazing opening weekend at the box office.

The film, in which Washington plays real-life heroin dealer Frank Lucas, raked in $46.3 million in its first three days on release - more than $10 million more than estimated.

The opening marked personal bests for both Washington and Crowe. Jerry Seinfeld's animated comedy Bee Movie also over-achieved with an opening weekend take of $39.1 million.

Last week's chart-topper, Saw Iv, fell to a distant No. 3 with $11 million.