Box office preview: 'Madagascar' to be most wanted this weekend

Photo by DreamWorks Animation

This film image released by DreamWorks Animation shows, Gloria the Hippo, voiced by Jada Pinkett Smith, from left, Alex the Lion, voiced by Ben Stiller, Melman the Giraffe, voiced by David Schwimmer, and Marty the Zebra, voiced by Chris Rock in a scene from "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted." (AP Photo/DreamWorks Animation - Paramount Pictures)

Paramount brings Dreamworks' PG-rated "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" to more than 4,000 domestic theaters this weekend, likely drawing huge family business worth more than $55 million in the first animated opening of the summer.

The 3-D film has the "Madagascar" menagerie joining a European traveling circus and is the latest installment of the wildly successful franchise, which has passed the $1 billion mark in worldwide revenues.

Expected to land a solid second-place finish is Fox's R-rated sci-fi horror entry "Prometheus" from acclaimed director Ridley Scott. Starring Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace and Charlize Theron, this is the highly anticipated return to the world of Scott's 1979 sci-fi classic "Alien." Studio estimates are putting the take at around $35 million, but strong interest by sci-fi fans could push it closer to "Madagascar" territory.

Universal's "Snow White and the Huntsman" had a better-than-expected $56 million debut last weekend and should follow with a strong sophomore performance of around $30 million. Holding its No. 1 spot in the midweek derby, robust word-of-mouth will push this dark re-telling of the classic fairy tale past the $100 million mark by Sunday night.

Sony's comedy/sci-fi hybrid "Men in Black 3" should finish its third weekend in fourth-place, with a domestic gross in the low-teens and an overall total of more than $130 million.

Disney/Marvel's mighty "The Avengers" should squeeze out another low-teen gross in its sixth weekend out, pushing its domestic total to more than $570 million by Sunday night.