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 “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.

– The Associated Press


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