Star Trek Beyond took America by storm as it opened in cinemas over the weekend, flying high and landing straight at the top of the movie charts.

The blockbuster easily topped the domestic box office in its first weekend in cinemas with £45.4 million.

However, the real winner was horror film Lights Out, which cost Warner Bros £3.8 million to make and landed in third place with £16.6 million out of the gate, studios said on Monday.

Zoe Saldana is one of the stars of Star Trek Beyond
Zoe Saldana at the world premiere of Star Trek Beyond at the Embarcadero Marina Park South on Wednesday, July 20, 2016, in San Diego. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Sci-fi flick Star Trek Beyond, the third film in the rebooted series and starring the likes of Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine and Idris Elba, cost an estimated £141.5 million to produce.

While its debut was healthy, it is more than £7.65 million shy of the second instalment’s opening in 2013.

Ice Age: Collision Course bombed in its domestic debut with £16.4 million, putting it in fourth place behind Lights Out, and the more direct competitor, The Secret Life of Pets, which hung in second place with £22.6 million after three weeks in cinemas.

Finding Dory is in the top 10 of the US box office charts
Finding Dory remains in the top 10 of the US box office charts (2016 Disney, Pixar)

Sony’s Ghostbusters reboot fell to fifth place with £16.1 million in its second weekend, bringing its domestic total to £66 million.

Other films in the US box office top 10 include popular family films Finding Dory at number six and The Legend of Tarzan at seven.

British film Absolutely Fabulous has gone into the charts at number 14 after opening last week.