Los Angeles ? Mel Gibson’s bloody epic “Apocalypto” debuted as the No. 1 weekend movie, proving the filmmaker still can deliver a winner despite his drunken-driving arrest and anti-Semitic rant last summer.

“Apocalypto,” a Disney release set in the Mayan civilization and told in an obscure Mayan language, opened with $14.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

It was a modest haul compared with the $83.8 million opening weekend of Gibson’s last movie, the 2004 religious blockbuster “The Passion of the Christ,” which went on to do $370 million domestically.

But “Apocalypto” overcame the baggage of Gibson’s personal troubles as well as its difficult subject matter, which features a no-name cast in a hyperviolent tale that includes beheadings and images of hearts ripped from people’s chests.

“The movie obviously succeeds on its own level. I think people probably are a bit on the surprised side around town that it’s No. 1,” said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. “Two months ago, nobody would have bet on that.”

Sony’s romance “The Holiday” debuted at No. 2 with $13.5 million. Directed by Nancy Meyers, the movie stars Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black and Jude Law in the story of American and British women who swap homes for the holidays and find love in the process.

The Warner Bros. thriller “Blood Diamond,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou, opened at No. 5 with $8.5 million.

Also from Warner Bros., the holiday comedy “Unaccompanied Minors,” about a group of kids run amok while stranded at an airport Christmas Eve, premiered at No. 6 with $6.2 million.

The Warner Bros. animated hit “Happy Feet” and Sony’s James Bond adventure “Casino Royale,” which had been the top two movies for three straight weekends, slipped to Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.

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

1. “Apocalypto,” $14.2 million.

2. “The Holiday,” $13.5 million.

3. “Happy Feet,” $12.7 million.

4. “Casino Royale,” $8.8 million.

5. “Blood Diamond,” $8.5 million.

6. “Unaccompanied Minors,” $6.2 million.

7. “Deja Vu,” $6.1 million.

8. “The Nativity Story,” $5.6 million.

9. “Deck the Halls,” $3.9 million.

10. “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause,” $3.3 million.