However, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" fell short of the early expectations by industry analysts, who have expected the sequel to gross about US$80 million in its opening weekend.

Disney expects the movie, based on the C.S. Lewis fantasy series and co-produced by Walden Media, to attract more family audience through the coming Memorial Day holiday weekend. The first "Narnia" film, "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe," was released in 2005 and grossed some US$745 million worldwide.

Meanwhile, Marvel Studios' "Iron Man" continued its strong run in its third week of release, as the superhero film slipped to second place after two weeks at No. 1 with US$31.2 million, according to Los Angeles-based box office tracker Media By Numbers.

The film, which kicked off the often lucrative summer season two weekends ago, has so far earned about US$222.5 million in US and Canadian theaters.

Observers and moviegoers now put their hopes on the latest "Indiana Jones" film by director Steven Spielberg. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," starring veteran actor Harrison Ford, opens on Thursday in time for the Memorial Day long weekend.