Dreamwork-Paramount animated threequel Madagascar 3: Europes Most Wanted beats expectations and European football- and crowns the box office in its debut weekend, with $60.4 million in the US and $75.5 million overseas, trumping Ridleys Scotts highly-anticipated sci-fi epic Prometheus.
Featuring the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen and Jessica Chastain, the family-friendly 3D animation tells the story of a group of zoo animals trying to return home to New York from Europe.
Prometheus, which debuted last week overseas and this week in the US, had to content with the second spot, grossing $50 million in the US and $39.2 million overseas.
Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron, the sci-fi horror 3D movie, follows a group of explorers as they search for the origin of mankind somewhere in a distant planet.
Another Charlize Theron Starrer, Snow White and the Huntsman dropped from last weekends first spot to this weekend third spot, taking $23 million in the US. Internationally, The fairy tale movie landed in the fourth spot with $24.6 million, bringing its worldwide total to $182 million in two weeks since its release.
Slipping in the fourth place in the US, Will Smiths comedy sci-fi comedy Men in Black in 3D collected another $13.5 million and beat Snow White overseas with $38.5 million. The pic has now earned $487.5 worldwide.
This years champion The Avengers continued to impress, landing in the 5th place, with $10.8 million. The superhero 3D pics worldwide total hit $1.4 billion over the weekend.
The British light-hearted comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel continued to hit a cord with US audiences, clinging to the sixth spot with $3.2 million, reaching a total of $31 million in its sixth weekend.