Narnia's subdued magic at American box office

"The Chronicles of Narnia" has woven box-office magic once again, with its latest epic dethroning Disney's "Tangled" and keeping Angelina Jolie and longtime rival Harry Potter at bay, industry figures showed Sunday.

"Voyage of the Dawn Treader," the third installment of the spiritual allegory based on C.S. Lewis's classic childrens' books, earned 24.5 million dollars in its North American weekend debut, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co.

All three films in the "Narnia" franchise have now debuted at number one, starting with the maiden rendering of the "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" in December 2005.

But the threequel's performance was seen as a soft opening, earning less than half what Narnia's "Prince Caspian" opened with in 2008 and well below the 40 million predicted by Exhibitor Relations.

Also on its debut, sneaking in behind "Narnia" to second place, was the posh thriller "The Tourist," starring Johnny Depp alongside Jolie, Hollywood's premier femme fatale. It earned 17 million dollars.

Slipping from first to third was "Tangled," the animated Disney fable about long-haired Princess Rapunzel, which netted 14.5 million dollars.

Fourth place belonged to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One," which earned 8.5 million dollars, bringing the global take from the penultimate film in J.K. Rowling's popular series about a boy wizard to 257 million dollars.

"Unstoppable," starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine as two daring, blue-collar heroes trying to prevent a collision with a runaway train full of hazardous materials, took fifth place with 3.7 million dollars in ticket sales.

"Black Swan," a ballet thriller starring Natalie Portman as a dancer in a New York company exploring the dark sides of the industry and her own sensuality, climbed seven spots to sixth. It raked in 3.3 million dollars from just 90 theaters, compared to the more than 3,500 theatres showing "Narnia."

Taking it off in seventh place was "Burlesque." The musical extravaganza with Cher and Christina Aguilera brought in 3.2 million dollars.

Romantic comedy "Love and Other Drugs," starring Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal, slipped to eighth, with 3.0 million dollars.

Roadtrip comedy "Due Date," featuring oddball travel companions Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis, came in ninth with 2.5 million dollars.

Meanwhile, Will Ferrell's super-villain comedy "Megamind" rounded out the top 10, netting 2.5 million dollars for the three-day stretch.