The final film of the hugely popular vampire franchise, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, held onto the number one spot for the third week in a row, according to early studio estimates.
Daniel Craig's Skyfall remains a close second with takings of $17 million (£10.6 million), while Steven Spielberg's Lincoln and animated family movie Rise of the Guardians are in a dead heat, both posting earnings of $13.5 million (£8.4 million) and tying for third place.
Life of Pi ($12 million/£7.5 million) is at four and sharing the title for fifth place are Brad Pitt's Killing Them Softly and Wreck-It Ralph ($7 million/£4.4 million).
Since many of the films are neck and neck in terms of ticket sales, industry experts suspect the rankings could shift when the final figures are released on Monday (03Dec12).
