娱乐英语新闻:"Man of Steel" excelled as No. 1 at North America

LOS ANGELES, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The latest Superman reboot "Man of Steel" ruled the North America box office this weekend as the top grosser thanks to good buzz and the audiences' longing for the epic superhero character.

The PG-13 actioner from the Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, playing at 4,207 theaters including 3,357 3-D venues in the United States and Canada, was estimated to grab 113 million dollars worth of tickets during the Friday-Sunday timeframe, according to preliminary statistics provided by the studio.

The film has set up several benchmark records including the best Friday June opening which was previously held by "Toy Story 3 " with 110 million dollars in 2010. The opening is also the second- largest debut behind only "Iron Man 3," which had a 174 million dollar weekend early in the summer.

The Superman retooling, the first of its kind in seven years, played well with audiences who gave it an "A-" CinemaScore. Critics are less enthusiastic, assigning it only a 58 percent approval rating, according to reviews aggregator Rottem Tomatoes.

The 200 million-dollar tentpole was produced by Christopher Nolan and directed by Zack Snyder. It stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon and Kevin Costner.

Another new release of the weekend, "This Is The End," finished in second place with a 20.5 million dollar three-day total. The Sony/Columbia apocalyptic comedy was written by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogan and is the pair's first directorial debut. It features an ensemble cast of James Franco, Jonah Hill and others as they were trapped in a house as the world unravels outside.

The R-rated comedy earned a "B+" CinemaScore from audiences and 82 percent positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

"Now You See Me," Lionsgate's caper film starring an ensemble cast including Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo and Woody Harrelson, had a 45.8 percent drop from previous week, finishing in No. 3 with a 10.32 million dollar weekend.

"Fast & Furious 6," Justin Lin's action tentpole, down 51.9 percent from last week, finished in No. 4 with a 9.3 million dollar gate.

Rounding out the 10 most popular films in North America this weekend were "The Purge" (USD 8.2 million), "The Internship" (7 million), "Epic" (6 million), "Star Trek Into Darkness" (5.7 million), "After Earth" (3.7 million), and "Iron Man 3" (2.9 million).