The Matrix Reloaded, the eagerly awaited sequel to the 1999 sci-fi hit starring Keanu Reeves, has taken a record-breaking USD 42.5m in its first day at the US box office. The film is the second part in brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski's Matrix trilogy, the tale of a group of freedom fighters who travel into a digital world to battle machines that have enslaved the Earth. The previous record holder for opening-day takings in the United States was Spiderman, which raked in USD 39.4m in the summer of 2002.