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As Bart Simpson would say, "Ay Carumba!"
The proud underachiever and his family took the North American box office by storm on Sunday as The Simpsons Movie sold US$71.85 million ($94.50 million) worth of tickets during its first weekend, according to estimates issued by distributor 20th Century Fox.
The animated film, which cost about US$75 million to make, marks the big-screen debut of the beloved cartoon characters, who will begin their 19th season on US television soon.
Fox, a unit of News Corp, had expected the movie to open in the US$40 million range, said Chris Aronson, the studio's senior vice-president of distribution.
The movie was also the top choice internationally, Fox said. Preliminary figures showed it earned about US$100 million from 71 territories.
Last weekend's North American champion, the Adam Sandler comedy I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, slipped to number 2 with US$19.1 million.
The top 10 films at the US box office over the weekend:
1. The Simpsons Movie
2. I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
4. Hairspray
5. No Reservations
6. Transformers
7. Ratatouille
8. Live Free or Die Hard
9. I Know Who Killed Me
10. Who's Your Caddy?
