The duo's film took $20m (£12.9m) at cinemas across the US over the weekend, marking another success for Zeta Jones' Hollywood career.

The 29-year-old Welsh actress plays an insurance agent who sets out to snare a high-class art thief played by Connery.

Sean Connery: On the Scottish election trail

She left the UK four years ago to seek her fortune in Hollywood. She became a household name in 1991 starring alongside David Jason and Pam Ferris in ITV drama The Darling Buds of May.

Her first big hit came in The Mask Of Zorro last year, when her on-screen chemistry with Antonio Banderas made the film a huge success in the US and the UK, and made her a success almost overnight.

Now she is reportedly able to command £5m for a film, and is being lined-up for other high-profile parts.

She is currently filming a remake of 1960s ghost film The Haunting of Hill House, with Liam Neeson.

The film's success will also be good news for 68-year-old Bond veteran Connery, who has been campaigning for the Scottish National Party in this week's elections for the country's new parliament.