‘Monsters’ tops zombies, Superman at box o∞ce

LOS ANGELES — A pair of good-natured monsters overcame Superman and a zombie apocalypse at theaters this past weekend.

“Monsters University” topped the box office, opening with $82.4 million in ticket sales. The animated prequel reunites Billy Crystal and John Goodman and their characters from 2001’s “Monsters Inc.”

Brad Pitt’s zombie thriller “World War Z” debuted in second place, forcing the “Man of Steel” to settle for third.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by gross, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com:

1. “Monsters University,” $82,429,469, $82,429,469, one week.

2. “World War Z,” $66,411,834, $66,411,834, one week.

3. “Man of Steel,” $41,287,206, $210,078,153, two weeks.

4. “This Is the End,” $13,290,642, $58,082,166, two weeks.

5. “Now You See Me,” $7,876,002, $94,456,978, four weeks.

6. “Fast & Furious 6,” $4,930,685, $228,618,155, five weeks.

7. “The Purge,” $3,587,630, $59,604,075, three weeks.

8. “The Internship,” $3,400,361, $38,339,866, three weeks.

9. “Star Trek Into Darkness,” $3,166,709, $216,777,625, six weeks.

10. “Iron Man 3,” $2,212,582, $403,157,804, eight weeks.

11. “The Bling Ring,” $2,001,903, $2,343,144, two weeks.

12. “Epic,” $1,793,375, $101,048,500, five weeks.

13. “After Earth,” $940,031, $57,382,240, four weeks.

14. “Before Midnight,” $901,292, $4,618,935, five weeks.

15. “Much Ado About Nothing,” $735,422, 206 locations, three weeks.

16. “The Hangover Part III,” $717,304, $110,013,772, five weeks.

17. “The Great Gatsby,” $602,410, $141,600,513, seven weeks.

18. “The Croods,” $503,900, $183,566,525, 14 weeks.

19. “Raanjhana,” $414,211, $414,211, one week.

20. “The East,” $365,101, $1,208,042, four weeks.