Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," the family comedy starring Johnny Depp as a whacky buccaneer, topped the North American box office this weekend for the third consecutive week, according to estimates released Sunday.

"Pirates" passed the 300-million-dollar gross mark this weekend on its 16th day in theaters to become the first film in box office history to pass the milestone so quickly, said Los Angeles-based box office tracker Exhibitor Relations, which releases weekend estimates.

Previously, ``Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith'' passed the mark in 17 days in 2005.

The last summer release to spend three consecutive weeks at the top of the box office was ``American Pie 2.''

"Pirates'' raked in estimated 35 million dollars this weekend, bringing its total booty to about 321.7 million dollars. Final figures for the Friday-to-Monday period will be released on Monday.

In second place, new release ``Monster House'' brought in about 23 million dollars for the animated children's movie. Another new release ``Lady in the Water'' brought in about 18.2 million dollars for the horror.

Comedy ``You, Me and Dupree'' came in fourth with 12.8 million dollars, while the Wayans' brothers latest comedy, ``Little Man,'' brought in about 11 million.

The 12 top-grossing films this weekend brought in about 143.3 million dollars, up 10.8 percent over the 129.2 million dollars grossed during the same weekend last year. But the gross was down 10 percent compared with last weekend.

Despite some recent high-profile layoffs at the Hollywood studios, the box office is looking healthy. Revenue for the year is up 7 percent from last year, and attendance is up 3.8 percent, according to Exhibitor Relations.

Source: Xinhua