Hollywood film studios are set to announce another record year of box office sales.

Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter films have helped boost sales to £5.7 billion, beating the previous record figure of £5.21 billion in 2001.

It is thought that fears of terrorism and recession sent the biggest crowds into US cinemas for more than 40 years.

Final box office figures out later this week are expected to show that receipts will be up 10% up on last year.

The year's five top money-makers were Spider-Man, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings and the animated feature Monsters, Inc.