"Alice in Wonderland" is Box-Office Gold

Alice in Wonderland, the Lewis Carroll fantasy brought to screens in 3-D by director Tim Burton, made $116.3 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales this weekend, making it the sixth-biggest opening ever.

The movie also set other records. It had the biggest debut for March and for a 3-D film, the largest opening weekend for the year, and the best-ever Imax opening, reports Hollywood.com Box-Office.

Featuring stars like Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway, the film opened in 3,728 domestic theaters with 2,063 3-D screens and on an additional 188 in Imax 3-D, according to the site. Movie studios are turning to 3-D films after the huge record box-office success of Avatar, James Cameron’s 3-D epic. On average, theaters charge about $3 for 3-D tickets.

“This is a sensational opening weekend,” said Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo, a research company in Sherman Oaks, California.

“It’s not just kids going to see the picture,” he added. “Adults are going as well, and adults without kids.”

Alice in Wonderland is the first film ever to crack the $100 million mark in the January-to-March period. Its $11.9 million in Imax receipts is also a record, Hollywood.com said.
Worldwide, the movie has totaled $210.3 million.