Tom Toppled By Mr Deeds
Sandler grabs box office crown from CruiseAdam Sandler has replaced Tom Cruise as the top draw in US cinemas.
The comedian's young fans helped his new movie, low-brow comedy Mr Deeds, make £24.6m in just three days.
Tom Cruise's sci-fi thriller, Minority Report, slipped to No.3 with £14.1m in its second weekend.
Disney cartoon Lilo & Stitch held steady at No.2 with £14.5m, also in its second weekend.
Mr. Deeds is a variation on Frank Capra's classic film Mr Deeds Goes To Town.
It stars Sandler as a small-town simpleton who inherits £25bn and outsmarts the ruthless businessmen who try to take advantage of him.
Winona Ryder co-stars in the Columbia Pictures movie, which had a reported budget of £36m, including Sandler's £13m salary.
Columbia's marketing president, Jeff Blake, said: "You can never go wrong with a big summer comedy."
Steven Spielberg's Minority Report, which cost about £66m to make, has now raced to a 10-day total of £48m.
Rounding out the top five, Scooby-Doo and The Bourne Identity each fell one spot with £8m and £7m, respectively.
