Disney Trumps DreamWorks, Others with Pixar's Brave

In a weekend that included vampire hunters and an asteroid that threatens to destroy the planet, a young redheaded princess has soared to the top of movie ticket sales.

Brave, the enchanting animated comedy from Pixar, Disney's (NYSE: DIS) chief animation studio, has earned an estimated $66.7 million, according to the studio estimates listed on Box Office Mojo. The third chapter in DreamWorks Animation's (NYSE: DWA) Madagascar series, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, came in second place with an estimated $20.2 million. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, based on the 2010 novel of the same name, landed in third place with an estimated $16.5 million.

While the final box office receipts (which will be released later today) are not expected to be that far from estimates, the preliminary results are not good news for the News Corp.-owned (NASDAQ: NWSA) 20th Century Fox, which was expected to score a second-place win with the aforementioned Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

But that film could still prove to be profitable. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, however, may be unable to produce box office gold. While its budget of $10 million should not have been difficult for Focus Features to recoup, the film earned $3.8 million this past weekend -- less than half of Box Office Mojo's $8.2 million prediction. Focus Features is owned by NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA).

Celebrating its eighth weekend at the box office, The Avengers earned another $7 million for Disney, bringing its domestic total to $598 million. Worldwide, The Avengers has sold more than $1.4 billion worth of tickets.

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