体坛英语新闻："Cowboys & Aliens" beats "The Smurfs" in weekend box office

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- "Cowboys & Aliens" finally claimed the first place over "The Smurfs" at the weekend box office, according to media reports Tuesday.

Final results counted Monday show "Cowboys & Aliens," a hybrid sci-fi western based on a little-read graphic novel and starring Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and other well-known actors, has won the duel with a 36.4 million dollar debut.

In contrast, "The Smurfs," a live-action/computer-generated family film released by Sony Pictures, finished at No.2 with 35.6 million dollars, trailing by 800,000 dollars.

Last week, the two movies had battled for top spot in the weekend box office, with each earning an estimated 36.2 million dollars. Analysts had predicted that "Cowboys & Aliens" would beat "The Smurfs" with an estimated 40 million dollars and more.

But the science-fiction "Cowboys & Aliens" opened weaker than anticipated, while "The Smurfs" did better than expected.