LOS ANGELES — "Deadpool's" three-week reign atop the box office has ended thanks to a handful of new openers, including "Zootopia" and "London Has Fallen."
The top spot went to Disney's "Zootopia" which staged a box office stampede in its first weekend in North American theaters with $73.7 million, according to comScore estimates Sunday. It's the fourth highest March opening ever and a best for a Disney Animation three-day debut.
The studio's previous record-holder, "Frozen," grossed $67.4 million over three days in its Thanksgiving opening.
Critics and audiences love the film, which features the voices of Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin. It got a coveted A CinemaScore and a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. According to exit polls, families made up 73 percent of opening weekend audiences.
Dave Hollis, Disney's Executive Vice President of Distribution, said "Zootopia" is the latest in a "creative renaissance" for the Disney Animation group, including "Tangled," ''Frozen," ''Big Hero 6" and "Wreck-It Ralph."
"There is consistency at a really high level of delivering great stories, amazing worlds and characters who people can relate to," Hollis said, noting that "Zootopia" is the only true all-audience film in the marketplace until Disney's "The Jungle Book" bows on April 15.
"Zootopia" also brought in $63.4 million internationally, where it is in its fourth weekend. The film has grossed $232.5 million globally to date.
In second place, "London Has Fallen," a sequel to the "Die Hard" in the White House pic "Olympus Has Fallen," earned $21.7 million. The main cast returned for the film, including Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart and Morgan Freeman, which cost a reported $60 million to make.
While it's a decent debut, it does lag behind the first film's $30 million opening. But it's a welcome change of pace for Butler, whose "Gods of Egypt" bombed in its opening last weekend.
In its fourth weekend in theaters, "Deadpool" fell to third place with $16.4 million, bringing its domestic total to a staggering $311.2 million.
The Tina Fey comedy "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot," meanwhile, debuted in fourth with an estimated $7.6 million. The film cost a reported $35 million to produce.
The movie, which finds Fey's journalist character on assignment in Afghanistan, has garnered mixed to positive reviews from critics. According to exit polls, audiences were 56 percent female and 89 percent over 25.
Fey's last film, "Sisters," was budgeted at $30 million. It opened to $13.9 million against "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and went on to earn $87 million domestically.
"It's a great weekend," said comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "And it's another better-than-expected debut in a time of year that doesn't usually breed great opening weekends."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore:
1."Zootopia," $73.7 million ($63.4 million international).
2."London Has Fallen," $21.7 million ($12 million international).
3."Deadpool," $16.4 million ($21.2 million international).
4."Whiskey Tango Foxtrot," $7.6 million.
5."Gods of Egypt," $5 million ($15.7 million international).
6."Risen," $3.9 million."
7."Kung Fu Panda 3," $3.5 million ($3.1 million international).
8."The Revenant," $3.3 million ($12.5 million international).
9."Eddie The Eagle," $3.1 million.
10."The Witch," $2.5 million ($590,000 international).
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Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore:
1. "Ip Man 3," $75 million.
2. "Zootopia," $63.4 million.
3. "Deadpool," $21.2 million.
4. "Gods of Egypt," $15.7 million.
5. "The Revenant," $12.5 million.
6. "London Has Fallen," $12 million.
7. "Mei Ren Yu (The Mermaid)," $10.5 million.
8. "Hail, Caesar!," $5 million.
9. "Spotlight," $4.7 million.
10. "How to Be Single" and "Homecoming," $4.5 million.