“Ice Age: The Meltdown” heated up the box office with a mammoth $70.5 million weekend, while audiences gave the cold shoulder to Sharon Stone, whose “Basic Instinct 2” debuted with a paltry $3.2 million.

The “Ice Age” sequel, from 20th Century Fox, took over the top box office spot from Universal’s “Inside Man,” which slipped to No. 2 in its second weekend with $15.7 million, raising its 10-day total to $52.8 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Premiering in third place was the Warner Bros. roller-skating tale “ATL,” starring rapper Tip Harris, which took in $12.5 million. Universal’s “Slither,” starring Nathan Fillion in a horror comedy about killer slugs from outer space, flopped with $3.7 million, debuting at No. 8.

Sony’s MGM release “Basic Instinct 2,” the belated sequel to the 1992 sex thriller that made Stone a star, tied for the No. 10 spot with Lionsgate’s “Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector,” which took in $3.2 million in its second weekend.

The overall box office surged, with the top 12 movies grossing $136.5 million, up 40 percent from the same weekend last year. The upswing followed a stagnant first quarter after a prolonged drought last year, when attendance fell 8 percent compared with 2004.

“Ice Age: The Meltdown” reunites Ray Romano, Denis Leary and John Leguizamo, now joined by Queen Latifah, as voices of prehistoric animals migrating to safety when global warming threatens to flood their home. The sequel easily surpassed the $46.3 million opening weekend of the original “Ice Age” in 2002 and broke the record it held for best March opening ever. It ties “The Incredibles” for second-best animated debut behind the $108 million first weekend of “Shrek 2.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.:

1. “Ice Age: The Meltdown,” $70.5 million.

2. “Inside Man,” $15.7 million.

3. “ATL,” $12.5 million.

4. “Failure to Launch,” $6.6 million.

5. “V for Vendetta,” $6.5 million.

6. “Stay Alive,” $4.58 million.

7. “She’s the Man,” $4.57 million.

8. “Slither,” $3.7 million.

9. “The Shaggy Dog,” $3.5 million.

10 (tie). “Basic Instinct 2,” $3.2 million.

10 (tie). “Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector,” $3.2 million.