‘Monsters University’ Holds Off ‘White House Down’ at Box Office

Pixar Animation Studios/Walt Disney Pictures “Monster’s University.”

LOS ANGELES â€" Big guns and heavy star power took aim at the weekend film box office, but “Monsters University,” an animated frolic from Disney’s Pixar unit, was still standing when the dust settled. In its second weekend, “Monsters University” had about $46.2 million in North American ticket sales, and about $171 million in domestic sales to date. That put it well ahead of “The Heat,” a heavily armed action comedy starring Melissa McCarhy and Sandra Bullock. “The Heat” placed second with $40 million in weekend sales for 20th Century Fox.

Zombies, guns and Brad Pitt, in Paramount’s “World War Z,” placed third with about $29.8 million in the film’s second weekend; it has had $123.7 million in domestic sales since opening. Roland Emmerich, the master of on-screen disaster, meanwhile had a misfire in “White House Down,” with Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx in an action thriller about an assault on the White House. The film opened in fourth place, with about $25.7 million in sales for Sony Pictures, placing it well below the openings Mr. Emmerich, its director, posted with apocalypse-themed hits like “2012,” “The Day After Tomorrow,” and “Independence Day.”

Warner’s Superman redo, “Man o! f Steel,” placed fifth in its third weekend, with about $20.8 million in domestic sales, for a total of $248.7 million since opening. In all, the weekend box-office fell about 8.5 percent from the comparable weekend last year â€" when the comedy “Ted” and Channing Tatum’s “Magic Mike” were on top â€" to about $192 million from about $209.9 million, according to Hollywood.com.