"MIB 3", starring Will Smith, racked up $55 million in the United States and Canada from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates. The movie also topped box offices in 104 countries around the world, and is expected to haul in a global $202 million over the four-day holiday weekend, distributor Sony Pictures said.

It is the first "Men in Black" film to reach theaters in 10 years, and the best performing film since the franchise began in 1997.

In "MIB 3", Smith returns to his role as Agent J, half of a secret-agent duo that keeps order among aliens disguised as humans and living on Earth. Tommy Lee Jones plays his partner, Agent K.

The new installment finds J traveling back to the 1960s to save a younger version of K, portrayed by Josh Brolin.

"MIB 3" knocked superhero team "The Avengers" to second place after three weeks at No. 1.

The global, billion-dollar blockbuster collected $37 million in North American theaters from Friday through Sunday. It also became the fastest film to cross the $500 million domestic threshold, getting there in 23 days and shattering the 32 day record set by the 2009 film "Avatar", which went on to become the world's highest-grossing movie of all time.

In third place, board game-inspired action movie "Battleship" brought in $10.7 million during its second weekend in theaters.

Sacha Baron Cohen's spoof "The Dictator" took the fourth spot with $9.6 million through Sunday, pushing new low-budget horror film "Chernobyl Diaries" into fifth place with $8 million.

Total figures for the U.S. Memorial Day long weekend will be released on Monday.

Sony Corp's movie studio released "Men in Black 3." "The Avengers" was distributed by Walt Disney Co's Marvel Studios. Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros. studios distributed "Chernobyl Diaries." "Battleship" was released by Universal Studios, a unit of Comcast Corp. Viacom Inc's Paramount Studios distributed "The Dictator."

(Reporting By Lisa Richwine and Jill Serjeant; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

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