According to The Hollywood Reporter, even though the debut of the puppet-driven Team America: World Police from Paramount was thought to have an edge at the boxoffice this weekend, in the end it was DreamWorks' Shark Tale that was pulling the strings.

The computer-animated Shark Tale easily held the top spot for the third consecutive weekend and is only the second film to do so this year -- along with Newmarket's The Passion of the Christ.

Shark Tale devoured an estimated $22.1 million to grab first place, slipping a meager 29% in its telling third weekend. The family-friendly feature has collected an impressive $118.8 million in 17 days. Universal's Friday Night Lights was in the second spot for the second successive weekend, scoring an estimated $13.1 million and holding up well with a moderate 35% drop. The football-themed drama, starring Billy Bob Thornton and helmed by Peter Berg, has grossed an estimated $38.7 million after 10 days.

Matt Stone and Trey Parker's R-rated Team America was tracking strongly heading into the frame, and some industry sources felt it had a good shot at usurping Shark Tale for the top spot. But when the smoke cleared, the comedy placed third with an estimated $12.3 million, far from the $18 million-to-$20 million figure that had been bandied about late last week.

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