Los Angeles ? Ben Stiller’s “Night at the Museum” was the main exhibit at theaters, debuting with $30.8 million to lead a rush of new movies over the holiday weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Starring Stiller as a guard at a museum where exhibits come alive at night, the comedy exceeded expectations for 20th Century Fox, which had been counting on a bit more than $20 million, said head of distribution Bruce Snyder.

The previous weekend’s No. 1 movie, Sony’s “The Pursuit of Happyness,” slipped to second with $15 million, raising its 10-day total to $53.3 million.

Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky Balboa” lived up to its underdog theme, overcoming geriatric-boxer jokes to debut at No. 3 with a solid $12.5 million over the weekend and a total of $22.1 million since opening Wednesday.

Released by MGM, “Rocky Balboa” is Stallone’s sixth movie about the Philadelphia street bruiser who becomes a champion fighter, this one following the nearly 60-year-old Rocky in the ring against the reigning heavyweight king.

MGM anticipated the jeers of fans about Rocky stepping back in the ring, tailoring its earliest movie trailers to that idea, with “characters saying, ‘Why are you doing this? You gotta be kidding,'” said Clark Woods, the studio’s head of distribution. “It made the audience comfortable with this concept right away. They were going to say it themselves, so we gave it to them.”

Universal’s “The Good Shepherd,” a saga about the early days of the CIA directed by Robert De Niro and starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie, opened in fourth place with $10 million.

Christmas weekend always is crowded as studios cram in family flicks and films angling for awards attention. This holiday weekend seemed even more packed than usual, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

“I think the movies are beating up on each other a little bit because there’s so many jockeying for position,” Dergarabedian said. “I don’t know how people find time to see all these films.”

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

1. “Night at the Museum,” $30.8 million.

2. “The Pursuit of Happyness,” $15 million.

3. “Rocky Balboa,” $12.5 million.

4. “The Good Shepherd,” $10 million.

5. “Charlotte’s Web,” $8 million.

6. “Eragon,” $7.15 million.

7. “We Are Marshall,” $6.6 million.

8. “Happy Feet,” $5.1 million.

9. “The Holiday,” $5 million.

10. “The Nativity Story,” $4.65 million.