New York -
The stylish combat film ‘300: Rise of an Empire’ topped the box office with a strong debut of $45.1 million seven years after the original ‘300’ became an unlikely sensation.
According to studio estimates on Sunday, the ‘300’ sequel opened well below the $70.9 debut of Zac Snyder's 2007 original. But the 3-D ‘Rise of an Empire’ beat estimates and easily edged out the weekend's other new wide release, ‘Mr. Peabody & Sherman’.
The movie adaptation of the '60s cartoon opened in second place with $32.5 million.
The Liam Neeson thriller ‘Non-Stop’ slid to third place with $15.4 million in its second weekend.
In limited release, Wes Anderson's European caper ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ notched one of the highest per-screen averages ever. On four screens, it made an average of $200,000. - Sapa-AP