‘Madagascar 3’ tops N. America box office

LOS ANGELES – “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” and “Prometheus” leapfrogged a fairy tale to take the top spots in the North American box office charts over the weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The animated “Madagascar 3,” the third installment in the wildly popular franchise starring Ben Stiller about escaped New York zoo animals, opened with a bigger-than-expected $60.4 million debut, according to Exhibitor Relations.

Ridley Scott’s hotly anticipated sci-fi adventure “Prometheus” also had a huge debut, taking second place with an opening take of $50 million, the box office tracker said.

The pair bumped “Snow White and the Huntsman,” which was fairest of them all last weekend, off the top of the charts into third place.

The film starring Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewart of “Twilight” fame, which offers a new twist on the classic fairy tale, brought in $23 million. It has total takings of $98.5 million so far.

The reunion of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as secret agents battling aliens living on Earth in the sci-fi comedy sequel “Men in Black 3” brought $13.5 million for fourth spot.

In fifth place was comic book superhero blockbuster “The Avengers,” pocketing $10.8 million, which has so far raked in more than $570 million in North America alone.

“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” a comedic drama about British retirees in India, took in $3.2 million for sixth place.

Keeping its seventh place was romantic comedy “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” about five interconnected couples sharing the experience of having a baby, with $2.7 million.

Next was the big-budget but critically panned “Battleship,” with $2.3 million in box office receipts.

In ninth was comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s “The Dictator,” at $2.15 million.

Tenth place went to Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” starring Bill Murray and Edward Norton, about young lovers on the run, with $1.6 million in ticket sales.

Final figures are due out Monday.