'The Bourne Legacy' opens at top of box office

LOS ANGELES - "The Bourne Legacy," the latest installment on the Bourne franchise, dethroned "The Dark Knight Rises" to rope in $40.3 million in ticket sales over the weekend.

The Universal Pictures' reboot, which features a set of wholly new male leads, made its debut in 3,746 locations in the US and Canada, showing an exceptional appeal with moviegoers and opened as the most popular film in the continent during Friday-Sunday frame. Those who have seen the film gave it a average grade of "B, " according to review aggregator CinemaScore. Among the moviegoers who were drawn to theaters, 52 percent were male and 69 percent were 30 years and older.

"The Campaign," one of three new films which premiered over the weekend, settled in second place with a 27.5 million dollar estimated gross, according to estimates gathered by Warner ?Bros. The Will Farrell farce is mainly appealing to male and older audiences, as 55 percent was male and 64 percent over 25 years old.

The film received a "B-" CinemaScore from audiences, which suggested the comedy flick will not keep it steam for long.

"The Dark Knight Rises", which has been in exhibition for four weeks, has seen a considerable drop in its receipts, taking in only 19.5 million dollars. The latest installment on the Dark Knight series has grossed 390 million dollars so far.

"Hope Springs," the third new entry of the week, debuted in fourth place with 15.6 million dollars over the three-day weekend.

"Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days," 20th Century Fox's latest reboot based on popular children tales, bagged 8.2 million dollars for a 30.6 million dollar two-week cumulative receipt.