Adam Sandler beats Justin Bieber at US box office

Just Go with It sees Sandler (r) co-star with Jennifer Aniston (l) and Nicole Kidman

Adam Sandler's latest comedy narrowly came out on top at the North American box office this weekend, just ahead of teen pop sensation Justin Bieber.

Just Go with It, starring Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, made $31m (£19.3m) in the US and Canada between Friday and Sunday, according to studio estimates.

That put it just in front of Bieber's concert documentary Never Say Never, which made an estimated $30.3m (£19m).

Their positions might change when final figures are released on Monday.

Sandler's film, a romantic farce about friends posing as a soon-to-be-divorced couple, received a slew of negative reviews.

Yet while its opening weekend takings were down on those for his previous release Grown-Ups, it still gave the American funny-man his 11th first-week chart-topper.

Bieber's takings compared favourably with those of 3D concert film Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds, which made $31.1m (£19.4m) when it opened in the US in 2008.

The film mixes 3D concert footage with personal video of the 16-year-old, who left empty-handed from Sunday's Grammy awards despite performing at the event.

Gnomeo & Juliet, a cartoon spin on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet with garden ornaments, made a respectable debut at three.

Produced by Sir Elton John, the animated film made $25.5m (£15.9m) in its first three days - putting it well ahead of The Eagle, this week's fourth-ranked title.

Last week's number one film, psychological thriller The Roommate, dropped four places to five.