Lawrence.com

Los Angeles — DreamWorks won ugly at the weekend box office with "Shrek," a tale of an ogre with a heart that recorded the second-highest opening ever for an animated film, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The computer-animated fairy-tale comedy featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and John Lithgow earned $42.1 million during the weekend. That was second only to the $57.4 million audiences paid to see "Toy Story 2" when it debuted over the Thanksgiving 1999 holiday weekend.

"Shrek" was also DreamWorks' most successful debut ever, even topping its Oscar-winning "Gladiator," which opened at $34.8 million, said Jim Tharp, the studio's head of distribution.

The weekend's other major debut, the moody romantic drama "Angel Eyes," opened in fourth place with $9.5 million. The Warner Bros. film stars Jennifer Lopez as a tough cop saved from gunfire by a mysterious man with a connection to her past, played by Jim Caviezel.

In second place was "The Mummy Returns," last week's No. 1 and now in its third week of release. "The Mummy Returns" earned $20.5 million during the weekend, for a cumulative total of $146.5 million. On its first weekend, it raked in a record $68.1 million.

"A Knight's Tale," out two weeks, was in third place with $10.7 million, for a cumulative total of $32.2 million.

"Moulin Rouge" opened in limited release, playing in only two theaters. The film, which stars Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor is scheduled to open nationwide June 1 in more than 2,000 theaters, he said.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

1. "Shrek," $42.1 million.

2. "The Mummy Returns," $20.5 million.

3. "A Knight's Tale," $10.7 million.

4. "Angel Eyes," $9.5 million.

5. "Bridget Jones's Diary," $3.8 million.

6. "Along Came a Spider," $2.4 million.

7. "Driven," $1.9 million.

8. "Blow," $1.3 million.

9. "Spy Kids," $1.29 million.

10. "Memento," $1.28 million.