It’s been a tense weekend at the box office, with contenders for a summer blockbuster out in full force. Unsurprisingly, the top spot over the weekend went to Monsters University with estimated $82 million earnings (all data courtesy of Hollywood.com), proving that even when the critics disagree, the folks over at the Emeryville studio know what they’re doing. For those keeping score at home, Pixar’s perfect streak of 14 out of 14 films debuting at number one on their first weekend remains unbroken.

Zombies came second to monsters, as Brad Pitt’s crack at the contagion genre, World War Z, followed closely with $66 million; having debuted this weekend at 3607 theatres across the US. The film was based on the eponymous Max Brooks novel and helmed by Marc Foster. It’s no secret that the zombie genre is having its Renaissance in recent years and the Pitt production apparently manages to tap into the Zeitgeist. It turns out to be Brad Pitt’s best opening weekend, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Smith with $50.3 million.

The second runner-up again comes as no surprise, as Warner Bros’s Man of Steel continues to perform, despite the second weekend drop of 65%. With estimated weekend earnings of $41,2 million, Man of Steel is still going strong. Note: it isn’t matching the box office success of this year’s Iron Man 3 though, which, if reports of Warner Bros. modeling a Justice League franchise after The Avengers are true, would be the studio’s goal.

The rest of the chart looks fairly predictable as well. Seth Rogen’s apocalyptic rager This Is The End held strong with $13 million over its second weekend, adding up to a total of $60 million over its 12-day release. Lionsgate’s Now You See Me is also chugging along in its fourth weekend, earning a respectable $7.87 million adding up to a total gross of $94.5 million. Overall, it was a profitable weekend at the box office with summer blockbusters clearly hitting the mark.

Monsters University PremiereBrad Pitt, World War Z New York Premiere
Monsters dominate over Brad Pitt's take on zombies this weekend.