'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' tops weekend box office

"G.I. Joe: Retaliation" won the weekend box office battle in the United States and Canada, fighting off competition from cartoon cavemen, a Tyler Perry drama, and an alien-possessed heroine trying to save the human race.

"G.I. Joe," a sequel starring Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis, secured $41.2 million in domestic ticket sales from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates.

Last week's winner, animated prehistoric adventure "The Croods," slipped to second place with $26.5 million in North America (the United States and Canada). "Tyler Perry's Temptation" landed in the No. 3 slot with $22.3 million.

"G.I. Joe" opened Wednesday evening to get a jump on the Easter holiday weekend.

The cumulative box office after Sunday is estimated at $51.7 million. In international markets, the movie racked up $80.3 million, for a global haul of $132 million.

Domestic ticket sales for "The Croods," a Dreamworks Animation comedy about a family of cave dwellers, dropped 39 percent from its debut a week ago. The cumulative international box office takings rose to $140.5 million.

Sci-fi romantic thriller "The Host," finished in sixth place with $11 million. The movie is based on a novel by Stephenie Meyer, author of the "Twilight" vampire series that became a blockbuster movie franchise.

In fourth place, thriller "Olympus Has Fallen" earned $14 million during its second weekend. The movie stars Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman in the tale of a White House under attack. Disney's "Oz the Great and Powerful" came in fifth with $11.6 million.