LOS ANGELES (AP) - “Cowboys & Aliens” has beaten back “The Smurfs” to win a squeaker at the weekend box office.
According to final studio counts Monday, the sci-fi Western took the No. 1 spot on the domestic charts with a $36.4 million debut.
That puts Universal Pictures’ “Cowboys & Aliens” $800,000 ahead of Sony’s family adventure “The Smurfs,” which finished at No. 2 with $35.6 million over opening weekend.
Sunday estimates had the two movies in a tie for the No. 1 spot at $36.2 million each.
Last week, box-office analysts had expected “Cowboys & Aliens” would be the clear winner over the weekend. But the Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford action tale opened weaker than anticipated, while “The Smurfs” had a stronger debut than forecast.
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:
1. “Cowboys & Aliens,” Universal, $36,431,290, 3,750 locations, $9,715 average, $36,431,290, one week.
2. “The Smurfs,” Sony, $35,611,637, 3,395 locations, $10,489 average, $35,611,637, one week.
3. “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Paramount, $25,554,303, 3,715 locations, $6,879 average, $117,421,571, two weeks.
4. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” Warner Bros., $21,977,093, 4,145 locations, $5,302 average, $318,511,602, three weeks.
5. “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” Warner Bros., $19,104,303, 3,020 locations, $6,326 average, $19,104,303, one week.
6. “Friends with Benefits,” Sony Screen Gems, $9,275,692, 2,926 locations, $3,170 average, $38,175,973, two weeks.
7. “Horrible Bosses,” Warner Bros., $7,189,365, 2,510 locations, $2,864 average, $96,290,917, four weeks.
8. “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” Paramount, $6,086,311, 2,604 locations, $2,337 average, $338,007,725, five weeks.
9. “Zookeeper,” Sony, $4,301,893, 2,418 locations, $1,779 average, $68,832,733, four weeks.
10. “Cars 2,” Disney, $2,349,142, 1,763 locations, $1,332 average, $182,118,690, six weeks.
11. “Winnie the Pooh,” Disney, $1,777,625, 1,632 locations, $1,089 average, $22,435,490, three weeks.
12. “Midnight in Paris,” Sony Pictures Classics, $1,156,947, 471 locations, $2,456 average, $46,851,966, 11 weeks.
13. “Bridesmaids,” Universal, $859,095, 484 locations, $1,775 average, $165,457,080, 12 weeks.
14. “Bad Teacher,” Sony, $842,740, 765 locations, $1,102 average, $96,718,147, six weeks.
15. “Kung Fu Panda 2,” Paramount, $662,153, 319 locations, $2,076 average, $161,681,667, 10 weeks.
16. “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” Fox, $467,542, 412 locations, $1,135 average, $64,625,469, seven weeks.
17. “The Hangover Part II,” Warner Bros., $399,026, 345 locations, $1,157 average, $253,027,043, 10 weeks.
18. “Sarah’s Key,” Weinstein Co., $366,690, 33 locations, $11,112 average, $536,650, two weeks.
19. “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara,” Eros International, $348,092, 100 locations, $3,481 average, $2,562,458, three weeks.
20. “The Tree of Life,” Fox Searchlight, $332,997, 196 locations, $1,699 average, $11,685,371, 10 weeks.
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Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.
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