Big US box office kiss for Disney's 'Frog Princess'

(Disney)

Disney's groundbreaking "The Princess and the Frog," which features the hit-making studio's first African-American animated heroine, topped the weekend North American box office, according to industry estimates Sunday.

The fairytale set in 1920s New Orleans tells the story of a hardworking waitress who tries to help a frog become a prince again with a kiss, but in the process is herself transformed into a frog, before the story arrives at its happily-ever-after conclusion.

It earned an estimated 25 million dollars, according to Exhibitor Relations.

In second place was "The Blind Side," a drama about a white couple who give an illiterate black teen a home and a new lease on life, with 15.5 million dollars in its fourth week of release.

In third place, with nine million dollars in ticket sales, was the debut of "Invictus" starring veteran actor Morgan Freeman in the role of Nelson Mandela, in the Hollywood movie about how the then-president of South Africa challenged the country's rugby team to win the 1995 World Cup.

Fourth place went to "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," the vampire romance sequel adapted from Stephenie Meyer's phenomenally successful books, with eight million dollars.

"Disney's A Christmas Carol," claimed fifth place with earnings of 6.9 million dollars.

Sixth place went to "Brothers," a melodrama starring "Spider-Man" star Tobey Maguire about the impact of the Afghanistan war on a conflicted US family, which earned five million dollars in second week of release.

Seventh place was taken by the special effects-laden, apocalyptic "2012," which earned 4.4 million dollars in its fifth week.

"Old Dogs," a Disney film starring John Travolta and Robin Williams, earned just shy of 4.4 million dollar for eighth place.

Ninth place went to "Armored," about security guards who pull off a heist of their own armored truck, with 3.5 million dollars in receipts.

Martial arts extravaganza "Ninja Assassin" took the tenth spot with 2.7 million dollars.