Weekend Box Office: '300: Rise of An Empire' Marches to Number One

The stylish combat film "300: Rise of An Empire" topped the box office with a strong debut of $45.1 million seven years after the original "300" became an unlikely sensation. According to studio estimates Sunday, the "300" sequel opened well below the $70.9 debut of Zac Snyder's 2007 original. But the 3-D "Rise of an Empire" beat estimates and easily edged out the weekend's other new wide release, "Mr. Peabody & Sherman."

The movie adaptation of the '60s cartoon opened in second place with $32.5 million. The Liam Neeson thriller "Non-Stop" slid to third place with $15.4 million in its second weekend.

In limited release, Wes Anderson's European caper "The Grand Budapest Hotel" notched one of the highest per-screen averages ever. On four screens, it made an average of $200,000.

Top 10 at the Weekend Box Office
1. "300: Rise of An Empire" - $45.1 M
2. "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" - $32.5 M
3. "Non-Stop" - $15.4 M
4. "The LEGO Movie" - $11.0 M
5. "Son of God" - $10.0 M
6. "The Monuments Men" - $3.1 M
7. "3 Days to Kill" - $3.06 M
8. "Frozen" - $3.0 M
9. "12 Years a Slave" - $2.2 M
10. "Ride Along" - $2.0 M

Related: 15 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About "300" Star Lena Headey

WATCH the trailer to "300: Rise of An Empire" (VIDEO)