Los Angeles ? A dancing penguin and the world’s deadliest spy have settled in for a long stay at the top of the box office.

The animated penguin tale “Happy Feet” was the No. 1 movie for the third straight weekend, posting ticket sales of $17 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Also for the third straight weekend, the James Bond adventure “Casino Royale” ran a close second, taking in $15.1 million.

“Happy Feet,” from Warner Bros., raised its total domestic gross to $121 million. Sony’s “Casino Royale” has climbed to $115.9 million.

With a fairly open market for family crowds through Christmas, “Happy Feet” is expected to top out at $185 million or more, said Jeff Goldstein, general sales manager for Warner Bros.

Topping $300 million worldwide, “Casino Royale” is on the way to surpassing the $432 million total of “Die Another Day” to become the top-grossing Bond movie, said Rory Bruer, head of distribution at Sony.

“It’s been all about ‘Happy Feet’ and ‘Casino Royale’ for the past three weeks. Those films have really captured the marketplace,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. “I’ve never really seen two movies define the start of a holiday season in the way these two have.”

Denzel Washington’s thriller “Deja Vu” remained in third place for a second straight weekend with $11 million, bringing the Disney release’s total to $44.1 million.

A weak crop of newcomers were unable to bump off the holdovers. Despite the holiday season, movie-goers generally were not in the mood for New Line’s “The Nativity Story,” a tale of Christ’s humble birth that debuted modestly with $8 million to come at No. 4.

Snow in the Midwest kept many moviegoers at home, undermining the film’s opening, said David Tuckerman, New Line’s head of distribution.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC:

1. “Happy Feet,” $17.05 million.

2. “Casino Royale,” $15.1 million.

3. “Deja Vu,” $11 million.

4. “The Nativity Story,” $8 million.

5. “Deck the Halls,” $6.6 million.

6. “The Santa Clause 3: The Escaped Clause,” $5 million.

7. “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” $4.8 million.

8. “Turistas,” $3.5 million.

9. “Stranger Than Fiction,” $3.4 million.

10. “National Lampoon’s Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj,” $2.3 million.