娱乐英语新闻:"The Lion King 3-D" reigns at North America box office for two straight weekends

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- "The Lion King 3-D," buoyed by an exceptionally great word of mouth, remained at the top spot of the North America box office over the weekend after it roared as the top earner last weekend, according to the latest estimates provided by distributor Walt Disney Pictures.

The Disney animated flick, which first hit screen in 1994 and re-released in 3-D format in the United States and Canada, is projected to fetch 22.1 million U.S. dollars in movie ticket sales from 2,330 theaters, or a decrease of 27 percent from last weekend, but easily fended off a concerted onslaught from four newcomers. The film is on track for a 61.7 million-dollar cumulative receipt in 10 days.

"Moneyball," a baseball drama starring Brad Pitt, opened in second place with 20.6 million dollars from 2,993 locations. The movie, based on Michael Lewis' 2003 bestselling nonfiction book, features Pitt as Oakland Athletics' general manager Billy Beane, who applied a modernized approach to overcome an unfavorable situation to assemble a competitive baseball team.

Poster of "The Lion King 3-D"

The 50 million-dollar-budget film appealed both to moviegoers and critics, with some 15,000 Flixster users gave the flick an impressive 91 percent approval rating. It also garnered a solid A grade from audience who have watched the film, according to market research firm CinemaScore.

According to studios, the baseball flick has registered the biggest debut ever for a film of its kind. "Benchwarners," a 2006 comedy released by Sony, opened with 19.6 million dollars. "The Rookie," a 2002 Disney drama, debuted with 16 million dollars. Fifty-one percent of the audience was male, and 64 percent was over 35 years of age.

Debuting at number three spot is "Dolphin Tale," a 3-D release from Warner Bros., which is projected to take in 20.3 million dollars in movie ticket stubs. It is based on the true story of a mammal that lost its tail in a crab trap. It earned an average grade of A+ from moviegoers, according to CinemaScore.

Two other debuts also made top five most popular films in North America. "Abduction" was fourth with 11.2 million dollars and " Killer Elite" ended in fifth with 9.5 million dollars.

The Lionsgate action thriller, starring "Twilight" heartthrob Taylor Lautner in his first leading role beside the teen franchise, received a decent overall CinemaScore of B-, with females under 18 giving it an A-. Sixty-eight percent of the moviegoers who have seen the film were women, and 56 percent was under 25.

"Killer Elite," an action film released by Open Road Films, a firm run by theater operators Regal Entertainment and AMC Entertainment, garnered a B grade from audience who watched it. It featured a trio of veteran stars including Robert DeNiro, Jason Statham and Clive Owen, and based on a true story about a group of British Special Air Service members who take on a hit squad to protect members of their regiment.

Rounding out the 10 most popular movies at the North America box office this weekend are "Contagion" (8.6 million dollars), " Drive" (5.8 million dollars), "The Help"(4.4 million dollars), " Straw Dogs (2.1 million dollars) and "I Don't Know How She Does It " (2 million dollars).