'The Simpsons Movie' brings together the greatest talent in the show's history. - Contributed LOS ANGELES (Reuters):
As Bart Simpson would exclaim, "Ay carumba!" The proud underachiever and his family took the North American box office by storm yesterday as The Simpsons Movie sold U$71.85 million worth of tickets during its first weekend, according to estimates issued by distributor 20th Century Fox.
The animated film, which cost about U$75 million to make, marks the big-screen debut of the beloved cartoon characters, who will begin their 19th season on television in the fall.
Fox, a unit of News Corp., had expected the movie to open in the U$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 U$100 million from 71 territories.
Last weekend's North American champion, the Adam Sandler comedy I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, slipped to a distant number two with U$19.1 million. The film was released by Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal Inc.
| Movie listings | $M |
| The Simpsons Movie | $71.9 |
| I Now Pronounce |
| You Chuck & Larry | $19.1 |
| Harry Potter and the |
| Order of the Phoenix | $17.1 |
| Hairspray | $15.6 |
| No Reservations | $11.8 |
| Transformers | $11.5 |
| Ratatouille | $7.2 |
| Live Free or Die Hard | $5.4 |
| I Know Who Killed Me | $3.4 |
| Who's Your Caddy? | $2.9 |
