The $70 million, film-noir-styled fantasy starring Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie cast its live actors against digitally animated giant robots on a backdrop of 1930s New York. It was originally scheduled to open in the summer, but production delays pushed it back.

Mr. 3000, a baseball comedy starring Bernie Mac, grabbed the No. 2 spot with a $9.2 million. Wimbledon, a romantic comedy starring Kirsten Dunst as a rising tennis player who falls for a fading tennis star played by British actor Paul Bettany, grabbed the No. 4 spot with $7.8 million.

Zombie attack fest Resident Evil: Apocalypse, starring Milla Jovovich as a bath-towel-wearing heroine, earned $9 million, a 61 percent tumble from its No. 1 debut last weekend.

Overall traffic at movie theaters was down over the weekend. Viewership for the top 10 movies saw a decline of more than 25 percent compared to a year ago, when Underworld led the box office.

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

1. "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," $16.2 million.

2. "Mr. 3000," $9.2 million.

3. "Resident Evil: Apocalypse," $9 million.

4. "Wimbledon," $7.8 million.

5. "Cellular," $6.87 million.

6. "Without a Paddle," $3.7 million.

7. "Hero," $2.95 million.

8. "Napoleon Dynamite," $2.4 million.

9. "Collateral," $2.3 million.

10. "Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," $2 million.