"Alice in Wonderland" Big Box Office Weekend

In North America, Alice in Wonderland sets a new record for a March release at the weekend box office. A distributor at the Walt Disney Company gave an estimated earnings amount of $40 million on its opening day.

The 3-D film is playing across the United States and Canada, as well as in 40 foreign countries.

According to Reuters: "The North American tally ranks at No. 19 among single-day debuts, said tracking firm Box Office Mojo."

The opening-day record for a March film prior to Alice was 300, which made $28 million. 300 made $71 million total during its opening weekend.

Tim Burton's film is likely to surpass $100 million this weekend. The last movie to reach the $75 million mark was Avatar which opened with $77 million in December.

Alice in Wonderland is in theaters now.