LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – “Up,” the story of a  floating house, its grumpy 78-year-old owner and an inquisitive  8-year-old accidental stowaway, remained atop the weekend box  office in North America, selling $44.2 million of tickets its  second weekend in theaters.

The family-friendly Disney/Pixar animated release about a  house lifted by colorful balloons and the odd couple’s  adventures showed surprising staying power. Its weekend gross  was down 35 percent from its opening weekend but still made a  strong showing for a film in its second week.

Movie industry analysts had predicted that “Up” would bring  in less than $40 million.

“The Hangover,” released by Warner Bros. Pictures, was a  close second at $43.3 million. The film about a group of men  trying to reconstruct what happened at a wild, Las Vegas  bachelor party benefited from a good buzz and positive reviews.  It also was the first big comedy released after a month  dominated by action flicks.
Universal’s “Land of the Lost,” a new release starring Will  Ferrell, finished a disappointing third at $19.5 million. It is  a remake of a mid-1970s U.S. children’s television series.

Four of the top five films attracted families with small  children as recession-weary parents continued to seek  entertainment at the movies.

“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” collected  $14.7 million and landed in the No. 4 spot. It made about $54  million when it opened two weekends ago, and has taken in $127  million overall.