New Line Cinema's "The Golden Compass," which debuted at the top of box office in the North America over the weekend with an estimated 26.1 million dollars, failed to repeat the opening successes of recent Hollywood fantasy films. - File Photo

New Line Cinema's "The Golden Compass," which debuted at the top of box office in the North America over the weekend with an estimated US$26.1 million, failed to repeat the opening successes of recent Hollywood fantasy films.

However, the fantasy epic based on the first book of British author Philip Pullman's best-selling "His Dark Materials" trilogy, got a warmer welcome in international markets, taking in 55 million dollars overseas, studio officials said yesterday.

"We were hoping for a little better domestically but the international numbers were solid," said Rolf Mittweg, New Line's president and chief operating officer of worldwide distribution and marketing.

New Line Cinema was expecting the 180-million-dollar film, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, to do some magic at box office like past blockbusters "Lord of the Rings," "Harry Potter" and "Chronicles of Narnia," all based on bestselling novel series.

As of last week, the studio had been looking for a North American opening in the range of 30-40 million dollars for the PG-13 film. And other studios held on their major releases to shun "The Golden Compass," making it the only wide release to hit the marketplace over the weekend.

Reviews have been mixed for the film, about a 12-year-old girl who journeys to a parallel universe to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from experiments conducted by a mysterious organization.

A conservative Catholic organization has urged a boycott of the film, accusing author Pullman's source material of being anti-God and anti-Catholic. This in sharp contrast to the 2005 Disney film Narnia, which was embraced by Christian groups.

New Line officials said that by selling off foreign distribution rights and counting the eventual revenue from the DVD and television markets, the studio in the end could turn a profit on the film, which is considered the most expensive one ever made by New Line.

But the film will soon face fierce competition for broad audiences, as several big Christmas holiday season movies, including Will Smith thriller "I Am Legend" and Nicolas Cage's "National Treasure" sequel, are to hit the theaters in coming weeks.