Madagascar 3 tops box office, creates history

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted has managed to bag the top spot on the US box office charts after earning $60.4 million over the weekend. It has beaten Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender-starer Prometheus and has become...

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted has managed to bag the top spot on the US box office charts after earning $60.4 million over the weekend.



It has beaten Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender-starer Prometheus, which released alongside it Friday.



Sci-fi thriller Prometheus earned $50 million, reports contactmusic.com.



Madagascar 3, which features the voiceover talents of Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Martin Short, Jessica Chastain and Bryan Cranston, broke records in Russia last week.



Madagascar 3 outdid the $47.2 million debut of the 2005 original, though it came in behind the $63.1 million opening of the first sequel, 2008's Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. Europe's Most Wanted had the added benefit of today's higher ticket prices and a bump from fans who caught 3-D shows, which cost a few dollars more than 2-D screenings.



Still, fans remain loyal to the franchise, and Madagascar 3 received generally better reviews than the previous two installments.



It scored the biggest opening day ticket sales for an animated film in the country's history.

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(With inputs from AP)