Cruise to win box office war

WAR Of The Worlds raked in $34.6 million (€28.9m) worldwide on its opening day, making it the most successful first day for a Tom Cruise film.

Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of HG Wells’s classic novel shot straight to the top of the box office chart when it debuted on Wednesday.

The opening haul was the seventh highest ever for a Wednesday debut.

War Of The Worlds focuses on an alien invasion of Earth and one family’s fight to survive.

It was first turned into a movie in 1953, winning an Oscar for its special effects.

The latest adaptation of the sci-fi adventure is described as “gritty, intense and supremely accomplished” by Variety magazine, while the Associated Press brands it “disjointed and episodic.”