'Puss in Boots' rules box office for second week

LOS ANGELES?? "Puss in Boots" pounced on "Tower Heist" and "Harold & Kumar" at the box office.

1. More Entertainment stories
   1. Kristen Stewart punched co-star Hemsworth

      Actress Kristen Stewart risked her hand and co-star Chris Hemsworth?s face when, despite direction to the contrary, she pu...

   2. Fox admits 'X-Factor' lip syncing
   3. Justin Bieber says no truth to sex allegations
   4. Reader: Lohan needs to serve sentence
   5. 'Conan' episode features Triumph, gay marriage

The DreamWorks 3-D animated film, distributed by Paramount Pictures, earned $33 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. The PG-rated film centering on the swashbuckling feline voiced by Antonio Banderas from the "Shrek" series surprisingly toppled the weekend's two new releases, bringing its total haul to $75 million.

Universal's PG-13 revenge romp "Tower Heist" starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy snatched $25.1 million in the No. 2 spot, while the Warner Bros. R-rated sequel "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" with John Cho and Kal Penn unwrapped $13 million at No. 3. Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com, said family films are tough to beat out.

"From the re-release earlier this fall of 'The Lion King' to 'Dolphin Tale' and now 'Puss in Boots,' it seems that the family audience is the one you can really count on right now," said Dergarabedian. "I think the cavalry is definitely on the way though. We've got 'Immortals' and another 'Twilight' coming up, as well as a bunch of big releases in December."

Anne Globe, head of worldwide marketing and consumer products at DreamWorks, said the decision to move up the opening of "Puss in Boots" to last weekend is one reason why the film experienced just a 3-percent drop, the smallest ever for a non-holiday film, ahead of the 10-percent dip for "Twister" during its second weekend of release in 1996.

"To be No. 1 again is really extraordinary," said Globe. "It's really an unparalleled hold driven by our two-weekend release strategy, which was pretty unprecedented in and of itself. That and the amazing word of mouth has given us tremendous momentum into November, which is a better play period for an event-level movie like 'Puss in Boots.'"

Another animated film dominated outside of North America. "The Adventures of Tintin," which is being distributed overseas by Sony Pictures and Paramount Pictures, scooped up $40.8 million as it grew from 19 to 45 international markets. The 3-D film, directed by Steven Spielberg and adapted from the Belgian comic series, opens Dec. 21 in the United States.

The 20th Century Fox science-fiction thriller "In Time" starring Justin Timberlake fell to No. 5 in U.S. after opening at No. 3 last weekend. "In Time" clocked better numbers overseas, earning $16.6 million in 53 markets for a second-place finish behind "The Adventures of Tintin," while "Puss in Boots" scratched out third place with $15 million in five international markets.

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45181794/ns/today-entertainment/

yom kippur yom kippur diamondbacks wolf creek wolf creek arizona diamondbacks arizona diamondbacks