From left: Melman the giraffe (DAVID SCHWIMMER), Marty the zebra (CHRIS ROCK), Alex the lion (BEN STILLER), Gloria the hippo (JADA PINKETT SMITH), King Julien (SACHA BARON COHEN) and the ever-resourceful penguins find themselves in the wildest place yet - the vast plains of Africa. - AP

Families herded into movie theatres for another trek with stranded zoo animals as the animated sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa led the weekend with a $63.5-million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The haul for the DreamWorks Animation comedy far surpassed the $47.2-million debut for Madagascar over Memorial Day weekend in 2005. Its three-day total also beat the $61-million gross the first movie took in over that full four-day holiday weekend.

"It just shows people seem happy to escape to the movies and have a good laugh," said Anne Globe, head of marketing for DreamWorks Animation.

While parents with children were the bulk of the audience, Madagascar also drew teens and adults on their own, who made up half the audience on Friday and one-third on Saturday, Globe said.

Premiering in second place with $19.3 million was the Universal Pictures comedy Role Models, starring Sean William Scott and Paul Rudd as immature adults sentenced to community service as mentors for two misfit youths.

The weekend's other new wide release, the Weinstein Co music comedy Soul Men, opened weakly with $5.6 million despite the lure of Samuel L. Jackson and his late co-stars, Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes, who died last summer. Jackson and Mac play an estranged singing team on a reunion road trip to a memorial concert.

Mac also was among the voice cast for the Madagascar sequel, providing vocals as Zuba, the father of Ben Stiller's Alex the lion.

The movie also reunites voice stars Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith and Sacha Baron Cohen as the animal gang crash lands in an African nature preserve.

Disney's High School Musical 3: Senior Year, which had been No. 1 the previous two weekends, slipped to third place with $9.3 million, raising its total to $75. million.

Madagascar and Role Models kicked off a big start to Hollywood's holiday season. The top-12 movies took in $128.8 million, up 32 per cent from the same weekend last year.

The season continues with Sony's James Bond adventure Quantum of Solace on Friday, then Summit Entertainment's vampire romance Twilight and Disney's animated canine comedy Bolt on Nov 21.

1. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, $63.5 million.

2. Role Models, $19.3 million.

3. High School Musical 3: Senior Year, $9.3 million.

4. Changeling, $7.3 million.

5. Zack and Miri Make a Porno, $6.5 million.

6. Soul Men, $5.6 million.

7. Saw V, $4.2 million.

8. The Haunting of Molly Hartley, $3.5 million.

9. The Secret Life of Bees, $3.1 million.

10. Eagle Eye, $2.6 million.

From left: Melman the giraffe (DAVID SCHWIMMER) gets a lesson in how to woo from King Julien (SACHA BARON COHEN).