"The Lorax" cashes in with multiple box office records

 　　LOS ANGELES, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Universal Studio's latest animated 1 film "The Lorax" has opened atop the North America box office with multiple record-shattering achievements including the highest opening for the studio's animated flick 2.

　　The film, produced by Chris Meledandri's Illumination Entertainment, preaches in favor of the environment and against corporatism and the destruction of the atmosphere. It is projected to gross 72.7 million U.S. dollars over the weekend, representing the biggest opener of 2012 as well as the biggest grossing film from a Dr. Seuss book.
　　The 70-million-dollar budget film is also the 4th biggest March opener, the 5th biggest animated 3D film and the 8th biggest animated PG film, according to box office tracking authorities.
　　The distributor's pre-release expectations for the 3D movie were around 40 million dollars.
　　The smashing kids movie, which based on Dr. Seuss' 1971 environmental warning of the same name and stars voices by Danny DeVito, Taylor Swift and Zac Efron, hit the screen at 3,729 locations in the United States and Canada, and took the No. 1 slot with an average 18,965 dollar receipt from each venue 3.
　　The flick, which is widely regarded as a popular children's classic, is welcomed by moviegoers. Those who have seen it gave it an average "A" CinemaScore grade. According to Universal, 68 percent of the audiences was 12 years and under with their parents. Among those aged 4 25 or older, as many as 74 percent were parents of a child under 13 years of age.
　　"Project X," another debut 5 of the weekend which is distributed by Warner Bros., is No. 2 with a 20.7 million dollar opening. The low-budget found-footage comedy, which is Nima Nourizadeh's feature film debut, follows three friends who plan to gain popularity by throwing a party but the move soon escalates 6 out of their control.
　　Many of the audiences were male who made up 58 percent, and 67 percent were younger than 25 years of age. Those who have seen it gave it an average grade of "B."
　　"The Artist," which garnered 7 five top Academy Awards including Best Picture a week ago, was also a box office winner, ranking in No.10 with 3.9 million dollars.
　　The Weinstein Co.'s silent, black-and-white paeon to the golden period of Hollywood expanded from 966 locations to 1,756 this weekend, as its receipt increased by 34 percent from last week. The film, which features Academy Awards winners of Michel Hazanavicius and Jean Dujardin, has raked in 37.1 million dollars since it premiered in North America on Thanksgiving weekend.
　　Rounding out the top 10 most popular films in North America this weekend are "Act of Valor 8", "Safe House", "Tyler Perry's Good Deeds", "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island", "The Vow 9", "This Means War" and "Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance 10".