In its debut weekend at the U.S. box office, DreamWorks Animation’s HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON slew the competition. The 3-D adventure comedy earned $43.3 million for the weekend of March 26-28, 2010.

Reigning champ for the past three weeks, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, slipped only a slot, making another $17.3 million. With visual effects from Café FX, Matte World Digital, Nvizage, Sony Pictures Imageworks, and Svengali Visual Effects, the Tim Burton extravaganza has made a total of $293.1 million.

In its first weekend, the sci-fi comedy, HOT TUB TIME MACHINE (vfx by Mr. X), made a swimming $13.7 million for MGM.

THE BOUNTY HUNTER scored an additional $12.4 million in fourth, bringing its two-week cume to $38.8 million. Last week’s #2 flick, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID plummeted to fifth, making $10 million, thus lifting its cume to $35.8 million.

SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE from Paramount held strong at #6, bringing in another $3.53 million, which makes its total tally $25.6 million. In seventh, Paul Greengrass’s Iraq thriller, GREEN ZONE (vfx by Double Negative and Lip Sync Post), captured another $3.35 million, lifting its disappointing cume to $30.4 million. Martin Scorsese’s SHUTTER ISLAND sailed into eighth with an additional $3.18 million. The mind-bending thriller with vfx from Crazy Horse Effects, Gentle Giant Studios, Mark Rappaport Creature Effects and New Deal Studios, has earned a total of $120.6 million.

REPO MEN, with vfx by Mr. X and Rodeo FX, had its box office cash repossessed falling from fourth to ninth. The gory sci-fi flick made another $3.05 million, making its two-week cume a weak $11.3 million. OUR FAMILY WEDDING from Fox Searchlight finished off the top ten adding another $3.05 million to its $16.8 million cume.

Box office numbers obtained at boxofficemojo.com.