‘The Croods’ grab top spot at US, Canada box office with $43.6 million opening

“The Croods” stormed from their cave to open at No. 1 at the box office in the U.S. and Canada.

The 3-D comedy from 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks Animation made more than $43.6 million in its first weekend in theatres, according to final studio figures Monday. It follows a prehistoric family (voiced by Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone and Catherine Keener, among others) who run into adventures when they’re forced to find a new cave.

“Olympus Has Fallen” had a much stronger opening than expected, with $30.3 million to come in second place. The FilmDistrict action thriller is about a takeover of the White House by North Korean terrorists, with Gerard Butler starring as a secret service agent who tries to foil their plan.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theatres Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theatre locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:

1. “The Croods,” Fox/DreamWorks Animation, $43,639,736, 4046 locations, $10,786 average, $43,639,736, one week.

2. “Olympus Has Fallen,” FilmDistrict, $30,373,794, 3098 locations, $9,804 average, $30,373,794, one week.

3. “Oz the Great and Powerful,” Disney, $21,568,957, 3805 locations, $5,669 average, $177,097,090, three weeks.

4. “The Call,” Sony, $8,900,935, 2507 locations, $3,550 average, $31,105,056, two weeks.

5. “Admission,” Focus Features, $6,154,984, 2160 locations, $2,850 average, $6,154,984, one week.

6. “Spring Breakers,” A24, $4,858,944, 1104 locations, $4,401 average, $5,265,802, two weeks.

7. “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone,” Warner Bros., $4,321,388, 3160 locations, $1,368 average, $17,411,818, two weeks.

8. “Jack the Giant Slayer,” Warner Bros., $2,949,101, 2560 locations, $1,152 average, $59,036,384, four weeks.

9. “Identity Thief,” Universal, $2,588,355, 2166 locations, $1,195 average, $127,770,300, seven weeks.

10. “Snitch,” Lionsgate, $1,885,200, 1807 locations, $1,043 average, $40,297,749, five weeks.

11. “Silver Linings Playbook,” Weinstein Co., $1,585,071, 1044 locations, $1,518 average, $127,163,614, 19 weeks.

12. “Safe Haven,” Relativity Media, $1,137,864, 1279 locations, $890 average, $68,918,009, six weeks.

13. “21 & Over,” Relativity Media, $1,028,521, 1134 locations, $907 average, $24,163,841, for weeks.

14. “Life of Pi,” Fox, $720,257, 489 locations, $1,473 average, $122,546,768, 18 weeks.

15. “Quartet,” Weinstein Co., $578,043, 425 locations, $1,360 average, $15,914,272, 11 weeks.

16. “Escape From Planet Earth,” Weinstein Co., $477,522, 1494 locations, $320 average, $53,354,899, six weeks.

17. “Stoker,” Fox Searchlight, $353,326, 275 locations, $1,285 average, $1,124,651, four weeks.

18. “A Good Day to Die Hard,” Fox, $323,549, 448 locations, $722 average, $66,260,731, six weeks.

19. “The Last Exorcism Part II,” CBS Films, $320,567, 455 locations, $705 average, $15,009,474, four weeks.

20. “Dead Man Down,” FilmDistrict, $306,090, 612 locations, $500 average, $10,611,958, three weeks.

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Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.