The apes are taking over the planet. Well not quite, but they are certainly shattering box office records across the US.

A $100m remake of the film Planet of the Apes, directed by Tim Burton and starring Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth and Helena Bonham Carter, pulled in $69.6m in its first three days, a record for a film that was launched at a weekend other than a holiday.

The success of the 20th Century Fox film, however, has highlighted a growing problem: internet piracy of films. Opening-night viewers can use digital video cameras to record movies then broadcast them free on the internet.

Fox lawyers have asked internet service providers to close the accounts of people who offer pirated films, an indication that the studios are finding better ways of tackling piracy. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is compiling lists of sites that offer pirated films.