The Associated Press

The boy wizard has worked his biggest box-office spell to date.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban charmed audiences to the tune of $92.65 million in its debut weekend, the best results yet for the franchise, according to studio estimates released Sunday.

It was the third-best three-day opening weekend ever, behind Spider-Man at $114.8 million in 2002 and Shrek 2 at $108 million last month.

Harry Potter bumped off Shrek 2, which had been the No. 1 flick the previous two weekends. Shrek 2 came in second with $37 million, lifting its three-week total to $313.6 million and putting it within striking distance of Finding Nemo, the top grossing animated movie ever at $339.7 million.

The global disaster thriller The Day After Tomorrow, which debuted a strong No. 2 over Memorial Day weekend, fell to third place with $28.15 million, pushing its 10-day total to $128.8 million.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone launched the series in November 2001 with a $90.3 million debut on its way to a $317.6 million total. A year later, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets opened with $88.4 million, finishing at $262 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released today.

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, $92.65 million.

2. Shrek 2, $37 million.

3. The Day After Tomorrow, $28.15 million.

4. Raising Helen, $6.7 million.

5. Troy, $5.7 million.

6. Mean Girls, $2.9 million.

7. Soul Plane, $2.85 million.

8. Van Helsing, $2.35 million.

9. Man on Fire, $1 million.

10. Super Size Me, $835,000.