DreamWorks' animated Bee Movie buzzed into first place at box office in North America over the weekend, as word of mouth helped pack theaters with family crowds in its second weekend in release, according to preliminary figures released Sunday.

The movie about a bee with a grudge up his stinger was estimated to sell US$26 million in the three-day period at US and Canadian theaters, zipping onto the top spot ahead of American Gangster, which was way ahead of the bee flick last weekend.

The DreamWorks computer-animated movie stars TV comedian-actor Jerry Seinfeld as an insect buzzing mad because humans are taking honey from his hive.

American Gangster, starring Academy Award winners Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington, dropped to No. 2 this week with an estimated US$24.3 million in box office business. The crime saga based the true life of 1970s Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas has done US$80 million in sales over two weeks.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Christmas comedy Fred Claus opened in third place, with an estimated 19.2 million dollars, followed by Tom Cruise's Lions for Lambs, a drama about the US war in Afghanistan, premiered at No. 4 with 6.7 million dollars.

The MGM film, co-starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep and directed by Redford, was the first release by the rejuvenated MGM banner United Artists since Cruise and producing partner Paula Wagner took it over last year.

Disney romantic comedy Dan in Real Life was in fifth with US$5.9 million. The film has grossed more than 30 million dollars since its release two weeks ago.

(CRI.cn November 12, 2007)