娱乐英语新闻:"The Croods" storms North America box office with solid opening

LOS ANGELES, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Dreamworks Animation has proved that it could still strike gold at the North America box office after parting ways with distributor Paramount Pictures, as Sunday estimates showed that its latest release, "The Croods," opened as the top-grossing film over the weekend.

The computer-animated comedy/adventure about a prehistorical family, featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds and Emma Stone, opened with an estimated 44.7 million U.S. dollars in ticket sales, finishing at No. 1. The feat beat analysts' pre- release estimated opening of 39 million dollars, and helped bring a bumper weekend to Hollywood.

The PG-rated family comedy, which was made with at least 135 million dollars, nabbed 11.6 million dollars in ticket sales when it opened at 4,046 theaters in the United States and Canada on Friday. The good opening was followed by an 18.9-million-dollar haul on Saturday, putting the piece along the way to the top.

The first DreamWorks Animation computer-animated film to be distributed by Fox, "The Croods" was warmly received by the audience, and earned itself an "A" CinemaScore. Seventy-nine percent of the moviegoers liked it, according to reviews aggregator Rottentomatoes.com, while merely 51 percent of critics were positive toward it. The upcoming Easter holiday and a lack of animated competition in the next few weeks should tide the comedy over during the box office derby.

FilmDistrict's political thriller "Olympus Has Fallen," another wide release over the weekend, trailed at No. 2 with a 30.5- million-dollar weekend, eclipsing the earlier projected opening of 20 million dollars. The Gerard Butler thriller about the takeover of the White House by terrorists hit the screen in 3,098 venues. Fans gave it an "A-" CinemaScore. A men-skewing film, 53 percent of its audience were male and 73 percent 25 years and older.

"Oz The Great And Powerful," the Disney blockbuster which had held the top perch at the box office for three weeks, fell to No. 3 with a 22-million-dollar gate. The "prequel" to "Oz" project is on track for a 177.6-million-dollar gross in North America.

Rounding out the 10 most popular films in North America this week were "The Call" (8.7 million U.S. dollars), "Admission" ( debuting at 6.4 million), "Spring Breakers" (5 million), "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" (4.3 million), "Jack The Giant Slayer " (3 million), "Identity Thief" (2.5 million) and "Snitch" (1.9 million).