LOS ANGELES, USA (AFP) — Critically acclaimed animation adventure How to Train Your Dragon, clawed back to the top of the North American box office this weekend, early industry figures showed yesterday.

After debuting at number one and a fortnight settling at number three, the DreamWorks fantasy about a young Viking who tames a dragon took $20 million to regain the top spot, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.

Since its release, Dragon has garnered critical and popular attention for its mind-boggling 3D effects and a sharp script, earning $158 million in total so far.

Foul-mouthed superhero comedy Kick-Ass, starring Nicolas Cage and a host of pint-sized crime fighters, narrowly missed out on the number one spot, taking $19.7 million in ticket sales after its first weekend of release.

Slapstick Date Night, about a jaded married couple landing in a series of explosive situations after a rare romantic evening without their children, starring Tina Fey and lead Steve Carell, fell from number one this week to the third spot, with $17.3 million.

Another comic newcomer, Death at a Funeral, featuring a wealth of African American Hollywood talent including stand-up stars Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence and Tracy Morgan-held the fourth position after bringing in $17 million in its first weekend.

Greek mythology film Clash of the Titans — a critically -panned blockbuster based on the exploits of Perseus and his battles with the serpent-haired Medusa and a fearsome sea monster — crashed from last weekend’s number one movie to the fifth spot with $15.7 million in ticket sales.

The Last Song, a romantic teen-targeted Miley Cyrus flick, fell to sixth place in its third week in theatres with $5.8 million, while melodrama Why Did I Get Married Too? by writer, director, and actor Tyler Perry came in seventh with $4.2 million in receipts.

Eighth place went to the time-bending R-rated comedy Hot Tub Time Machine, earning $3.5 million, and the live-action version of Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice in Wonderland starring Johnny Depp — which has earned nearly $324 million total — took $3.5 million this weekend for the ninth spot.

The Bounty Hunter, a lacklustre comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler, came in tenth with a $3.2-million take.