Lovable green ogre Shrek brushed off the ladies of "Sex and the City 2" to retain the No. 1 spot at movie box offices over the U.S. holiday weekend, as ticket sales for the first month of Hollywood's summer fell slightly from last year.
In its second weekend in theaters, "Shrek Forever After" took in $43.4 million for the three days ended Sunday and an estimated $55.7 million for the four days ending on Monday's U.S. Memorial Day holiday, according to studio estimates.
The figures surprised box office watchers who expected adult comedy "Sex and the City 2" to land at No. 1. But it took only third place over the four-day holiday period, with estimated ticket sales of $37.1 million, just below No. 2, action adventure "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," with a four-day predicted total of $37.7 million.
Overall, the box office for Hollywood's summer season -- the most lucrative period of the year that runs from the start of May through August -- were off roughly 0.5 percent at $811.5 million compared to $815.2 million for the same period one year ago, according to tracker Hollywood.com Box Office.
"Shrek Forever After" was produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures. "Sex and the City 2" was distributed by Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc. and "Prince of Persia" was released by the movie studio division of The Walt Disney Co.
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