User blog:Ceauntay/‘Rio’ Flies Away With Box Office Win

As expected, the 3-D animated film “Rio” soared at the North American box office this past weekend, earning $40 million, according to early studio estimates. The film, which was released by Twentieth Century Fox and features the voices of Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway, easily beat the weekend’s other big release, The Weinstein Co.’s “Scream 4,” which earned $19.3 million.

“Rio” built on its strong $55 million international debut last weekend and is expected top the box office haul of Paramount Pictures’ “Rango,” which has grossed $118.8 million domestically. The year’s next big animated film, DreamWorks Animation’s “Kung Fu Panda 2″ doesn’t open until late May.

In its third week, Warner Bros.' “Scooby-Doo! The Movie” continues second above grossing $25.3 million for a total of $250 million. Adding another $250 million internationally, gives it a cheering $500 million worldwide, which is about a half of billion dollars. In its third week, Universal’s “Hop” dropped to third place, grossing $11.2 million for an $82.6 domestic and $112 international cumulative total.