‘Up’ maintains box-office altitude at No. 1 with $44M

? Two live-action comedies were unable to bring down the animated adventure “Up.”

Disney and Pixar Animation’s “Up” reeled in $44.2 million to remain on top of the box office for the second weekend in a row, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Warner Bros. bachelor-bash comedy “The Hangover” came in a close second with a $43.3 million debut. Will Ferrell’s action comedy for Universal, “Land of the Lost,” had to settle for a distant third with a $19.5 million opening.

“Up” was the first movie of Hollywood’s busy summer season to take the No. 1 spot for two straight weekends. But overall revenues fell for the second weekend in a row, putting the brakes on what has been shaping up as a record revenue year for the movie business.

The top 12 movies took in $164 million, down 6 percent from the same weekend last year, when “Kung Fu Panda” opened on top with $60.2 million, according to box-office figures compiled by Hollywood.com.

For the year, Hollywood has taken in $4.3 billion, up 12.5 percent from 2008 revenues. But studios have been unable to maintain the red-hot pace of the year’s first four months.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com.

1. “Up,” $44.2 million.

2. “The Hangover,” $43.3 million.

3. “Land of the Lost,” $19.5 million.

4. “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” $14.7 million.

5. “Star Trek,” $8.4 million.

6. “Terminator Salvation,” $8.2 million.

7. “Drag Me to Hell,” $7.3 million.

8. “Angels & Demons,” $6.5 million.

9. “My Life in Ruins,” $3.2 million.

10. “Dance Flick,” $2 million.