Doctor Strange tops US box office

Benedict Cumberbatch plays Doctor Strange in the Marvel Studios film

Doctor Strange has topped the US box office with $85m (£68.4m), beating Trolls which took $45.6m (£36.6m).

Benedict Cumberbatch's debut as the neurosurgeon turned sorcerer was also Marvel's 14th film to open at number one, taking $325.4m (£261m) globally.

Other Marvel hits include The Avengers, Iron Man and Guardians of the Galaxy.

RealD, which creates the technology for 3D films, said 47% of Doctor Strange's US takings were from large format screens and 3D showings.

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Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake voice characters in Trolls

Trolls, a children's animation featuring the voices of Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake, was followed by Hacksaw Ridge, starring Andrew Garfield and directed by Mel Gibson.

It tells the story of conscientious objector Desmond Doss's heroics during World War Two's Battle of Okinawa, and took $14.8m (£11.9m). It is the first time Gibson has directed a film since 2006.

Last week's number one, Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween, fell to number four with $7.8m (£6.2m), beating Tom Hanks' Inferno, which took $6.3m (£5m).

The US box office is up by 16% from this time last year, according to Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box office tracker comScore.

He said it was due to audiences' desire for escapism with the looming election this week, along with the top three films all having different ratings of PG-13, PG and R respectively.

"This is the formula that Hollywood should try to recreate every weekend," he said.