The 3-D DreamWorks animated film proved the popular character, voiced by Antonio Banderas, was a big enough draw to reach fans outside of the "Shrek" franchise.
The weekend box office was affected by both the unseasonable winter storm on the East Coast and the appeal of the game 7 broadcast of the World Series on Friday night. DreamWorks estimated the storm took off several million dollars from "Puss in Boots."
Meantime, "The Adventures of Tintin," which is being distributed overseas by Sony Pictures and Paramount Pictures, opened in 19 international markets and hauled in $55.8 million.
The performance-capture 3-D animated film, directed by Steven Spielberg and adapted from the beloved Belgian comic series, was especially popular in France, where its $21.5 million was the largest opening for a non-sequel Hollywood film. The film opens in the U.S. on Dec. 21.
Just in time for Halloween, the low-budget horror flick "Paranormal Activity 3" took the No. 2 spot, reeling in $18.5 million in its second week of release, bringing its cumulative total to $81.3 million.
Justin Timberlake's futuristic adventure film "In Time" came in at No. 3 with $12 million, and "Footloose" ranked No. 4, adding $5.4 million for a three-week total of $38.4 million.
"The Run Diary," starring Johnny Depp rounded out the top 5 with $5 million, a low figure for a film that cost an estimated $50 million to make.
The top 10 movies of the weekend were:
1. "Puss in Boots," $34 million.
2. "Paranormal Activity 3," $18.5 million.
3. "In Time," $12 million.
4. "Footloose," $5.4 million.
5. "The Rum Diary," $5 million.
6. "Real Steel," $4.7 million.
7. "The Three Musketeers," $3.5 million.
8. "The Ides of March," $2.7 million.
9. "Moneyball," $2.4 million.
10. "Courageous," $1.8 million.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
