Sony and MGM's "21 Jump Street" lit up the R-rated comedy marketplace, opening to a stellar $35 million at the domestic box office. Starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, the light-hearted take on the classic TV series nabbed the best debut ever for a non-sequel, non-summer R-rated comedy as well as being one of the best bows on the books for an action-buddy comedy or a television-to-film adaptation.

Overseas, "21 Jump Street" rolled out in 11 markets grossing $7 million including a standout $4.3 million in Australia, where it launched ahead of past R-rated comedies such as "The Hangover," "Tropic Thunder" and "Bad Teacher" which was also from Sony. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, it grossed $2.5 million.

"21 Jump Street" easily wrestled the domestic weekend crown from Universal and Illumination's hit "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax," which has ruled the domestic box office the past two weekends. "The Lorax" continued to do good business by coming in at the number two rank with $22.8 million in its third outing for a domestic income of $158.4 million which is by far the best showing of 2012.

"21 Jump Street" was the only new nationwide release of the weekend but it was not the only new title with big comedic names. Will Ferrell's Spanish-language film "Casa de Mi Padre" made its limited debut, opening in 382 theaters and grossing an estimated $2.2 million to come in at number 9. Another headline of the weekend was New Line and Warner Bros.' sequel "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island," which jumped the $300 million mark this weekend. The film has now earned $95.1 million domestically and $206.8 million internationally for a sizeable $309.1 million.

On the other hand, Disney's "John Carter" continues to struggle only grossing $13.5 million in its second weekend for a weak 10-day domestic income of $53.2 million. Overseas, the film grossed $40.7 million, including a strong $10.4 million debut in China, for an international total of $126.1 million and worldwide income of $179.3 million. Even with the strong performances of "21 Jump Street" and "The Lorax," the domestic box office dipped behind last year's level for the first time this year. Revenue was down by 8 percent due to the less depth in the holdover marketplace.

Box-office observers credit strong reviews and good word-of-mouth for "21 Jump Street's" better-than-expected numbers. Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, "21 Jump Street" received a B Cinema Score and those under the age of 25 gave the movie an A. The movie features Hill and Tatum as bumbling police officers who go undercover in a high school to bust up a drug ring. "21 Jump Street" is a victory for Sony and MGM, which partnered on the $42 million film.

"The chemistry between Jonah and Channing was off the hook," said Sony Worldwide President of distribution Rory Bruer. "You expect Jonah to be funny, but people were blown away by Channing's comedy chops," Bruer added. The "21 Jump Street" TV show, which aired from 1987-91 on Fox, was far more serious and is famous for launching Johnny Depp's acting career. Depp also makes a cameo in the remake movie. Hill produced "21 Jump Street" with Michael Bacall, who wrote the script, and Neal H. Moritz. The movie also stars Brie Larson, Dave Franco, Ellie Kemper, Rob Riggle and Ice Cube.

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