‘Prometheus’ Overtaken At Box Office

‘Prometheus’ Overtaken At Box Office, The sci-fi odyssey debuts in first place on Friday, but another movie pushes past it by Sunday. Family audiences turned out in droves for “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted,” pushing the DreamWorks Animation CGI sequel to a better-than-expected $60.3 million weekend at the U.S. box office.

Big turnouts on Saturday and Sunday pushed it past Fox and Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus,” which had led after taking in $21.4 million Friday, and went on to an impressive $50 million for the weekend.

“Madagascar 3″ also hauled in $75.5 million from 28 overseas territories in its first weekend — including an eye-popping $16.5 million from Russia — making it the weekend’s No. 1 film worldwide. It added $11 million from Brazil and $10.5 million from China.

With no real family film in the U.S. marketplace since April, “Madagascar 3′ plainly filled a box-office void. Both movies delivered on the high end of expectations, particularly the R-rated “Prometheus,” in a busy weekend at the cineplexes.

“Madagascar 3″ turned in the biggest debut weekend in the franchise history, and the best opening for DreamWorks Animation since “Shrek 4″ bowed to $70 million in 2008.

“The release date worked great for us,” DWA’s chief marketing office Ann Globe told TheWrap Sunday, “particularly for parents.”

“Madagascar 3″ was a hit with audiences, which were 56 percent female and 54 percent under 25. They gave it an “A” CinemaScore. It’s been nearly four years since the last “Madagascar” film and the numbers suggest it not only connected with earlier fans but made some new ones.

“I think the critics and the audiences see this as the best film of the group,” Globe continued. “We added some new characters to what was already a robust group and I think that made a difference.”

“Madagascar 3″ follows the gang, refugees from a New York zoo, as they try to make their way back to the Big Apple from Europe and join a traveling circus. Frances McDormand, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston and Martin Short have joined the voice cast, along with returnees Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith and David Schwimmer. Noah Baumbach (“Fantastic Mr. Fox”) comes aboard as a co-writer with Eric Darnell, who directs. The film cost $145 million to produce, the studio said.