LOS ANGELES: The youthful policemen of 1980s remake "21 Jump Street" seized the head of the North American box office this weekend, according to data released Monday.
The film with underachieving cops Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, sent on an undercover counternarcotics mission at a high school, pocketed $36.3 million in its first weekend, Exhibitor Relations said.
Last week's top earner, "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax," took in $22.8 million, for a $158.4 million total in three weeks in theaters.
The animated movie about the hazards of industrialized society, featuring the voices of Danny DeVito, Zac Efron and Taylor Swift, set a record two weeks ago for the highest non-sequel animated film debut with $70.2 million.
Third place went to critically panned Disney feature "John Carter," based on books by "Tarzan" author Edgar Rice Burroughs. The film, about an ex-Civil War soldier magically transported to Mars, earned $13.6 million.
Disney announced Monday that it expected to lose $200 million on the movie in its second fiscal quarter.
"Project X," a coarse comedy about a high school party that gets out of control, came in fourth place with $4 million.
In fifth came "Act of Valor," a war film starring active duty US Navy SEALs, with $3.7 million in receipts.
Eddie Murphy comedy "A Thousand Words" was in sixth place with $3.6 million in earnings.
CIA-based thriller "Safe House," starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, kept its seventh spot with $2.7 million in weekend receipts.
In eighth was "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island," a family-friendly 3D adventure starring former wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, earning $2.4 million.
Will Ferrell's outlandish comedy "Casa de mi Padre," cashed in $2.3 million to land in ninth for its debut weekend.
Rounding out the top 10 was "This Means War," a romantic action-comedy starring Reese Witherspoon, with $2.1 million. (AFP)