‘Snow’ puts bite on box office with $56.3 million debut

This film image released by Universal Pictures shows actress Kristen Stewart in a scene from "Snow White and the Huntsman." (AP Photo/Universal Pictures)

LOS ANGELES — “Snow White & the Huntsman” turned out to be a fairer box-office beauty than Hollywood anticipated.

According to studio estimates Sunday, Universal Pictures’ action yarn inspired by the fairy-tale princess debuted strongly at No. 1 with $56.3 million domestically. That’s about $20 million higher than industry expectations.

Without the built-in business that generally goes with a sequel, “Snow White” was a question mark as a draw for young males who typically make up most of the action crowd. The movie wound up drawing a fairly even audience, with female fans accounting for 53 percent of viewers.

“We weren’t even thinking we could do beyond $40 million, especially for a title where you didn’t know if the males are going to show up. And they did,” said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal.

Overseas, “Snow White” added $39.3 million in 45 markets, putting the worldwide total at $95.6 million for the movie that stars Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth.

“Snow White” bumped Sony’s “Men in Black 3” from the top spot and into second-place with $29.3 million. The Will Smith-Tommy Lee Jones sequel raised its domestic total to $112.3 million after two weekends and added $78.6 million overseas for an international take of $274.6 million and a worldwide gross of $386.9 million.

Disney’s superhero sensation “The Avengers” remained strong at No. 3 with $20.3 million, lifting its domestic total to $552.7 million. “The Avengers” climbed past “The Dark Knight” at $533.3 million to become No. 3 all-time on the domestic revenue chart, behind “Avatar” at $760.5 million and “Titanic” at $658.5 million.

Adding $12.4 million overseas, “The Avengers” pushed its international haul to $802.5 million and its worldwide earnings to $1.36 billion. That raised it past last year’s “Harry Potter” finale at $1.33 billion to put “The Avengers” at No. 3 in all-time revenue worldwide, also behind only “Avatar” ($2.8 billion) and “Titanic” ($2.2 billion).

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Weekend box office

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Snow White & the Huntsman,” $56.3 million ($39.3 million international).

2. “Men in Black 3,” $29.3 million ($78.6 million international).

3. “The Avengers,” $20.3 million ($12.4 million).

4. “Battleship,” $4.8 million ($1.5 million international).

5. “The Dictator,” $4.7 million ($6.5 million international).

6. “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” $4.6 million ($557,000 international).

7. “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” $4.4 million.

8. “Dark Shadows,” $3.9 million.

9. “Chernobyl Diaries,” $3 million.

10. “For Greater Glory,” $1.8 million.