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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Shark Tale was released October 1st, 2004 and stars Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renée Zellweger, Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Martin Scorsese, Ziggy Marley, Doug E. Doug. The film is directed by Bibo Bergeron, Vicky Jenson, Rob Letterman.