While the boy wizard's battle against evil was continuing, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was winning the war at the box office, staying in the top spot on the US charts for the third week in a row.

The fourth instalment of the book-and-film series brought in $20.4 million from Friday to Sunday, according to studio estimates released Sunday, bringing its grand total in three weeks of release to nearly $230 million.

Its worldwide take stood at $560 million for a film that cost $150 million to make.

In second place at the US box office in its debut weekend was the science-fiction thriller "Aeon Flux", starring Charlize Theron as the top agent of a futuristic underground movement. It brought in $13.1 million.

"Walk the Line" about the life of legendary country singer Johnny Cash was third with $10 million, and the family comedy "Yours, Mine and Ours", starring Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo, was fourth with $8.4 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were "Just Friends", "Pride and Prejudice", "Rent", "Chicken Little", "Derailed" and "In the Mix".