De Niro on top at the box office again

Robert De Niro returned to the No 1 slot at the North American box office this weekend with the thriller Hide and Seek, six weeks after his comedy Meet the Fockers began a three-week reign.

De Niro plays a widower whose daughter has a creepy imaginary friend.

Several films that featured prominently when Academy Award nominations were unveiled last week enjoyed stronger ticket sales over the weekend after going into wide release.

Million Dollar Baby, which picked up seven Oscar nominations, jumped nine places to No 3 after six weekends in limited release. Director Clint Eastwood's tale of a feisty boxer, played by Hilary Swank, was playing in 2010 theatres, up from 147 the previous weekend.

Leading Oscar contender The Aviator, with 11 nominations, jumped two places to No 6.

Sideways, with five nominations, finally made it into the top 10 in its 15th week, reaching No 7.