The latest installment of the franchise "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" took a bite out of the competition, raking in $42 million domestically.
That raised its domestic total to more than $221 million.
Disney's "The Muppets" debuted at No. 2 with $29.5 million.
The animated sequel "Happy Feet Two" came in third with just over $13 million.
"Arthur Christmas" and "Hugo" rounded out the top five.
The top 10 movies of the weekend were:
1. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1," $42 million
($71.5 million international).
2. "The Muppets," $29.5 million ($1.6 million international).
3. "Happy Feet Two," $13.4 million ($10 million
international).
4. "Arthur Christmas," $12.7 million ($11.9 million
international).
5. "Hugo," $11.4 million.
6. "Jack and Jill," $10.3 million.
7. "Immortals," $8.8 million ($8 million international).
8. "Puss in Boots," $7.5 million ($9 million international).
9. "Tower Heist," $7.3 million ($7.3 million international).
10. "The Descendants," $7.2 million.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
