Aslan's magic roared forth as Harry's magic waned in the fantasy-fueled battle for ticket sales.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe tallied $65.6 million over from Friday to Sunday to score the second-biggest December weekend opening ever.

The PG-rated Disney adaptation of C.S. Lewis' classic fable of four British kids, their magic closet and the coolest talking lion this side of Simba unspooled in 3,616 theaters, averaging a whopping $18,130 per site. The epic tale took the lion's share--57 percent--of ticket sales, according to studio figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations.

The first of a planned seven-part series, mixes of live action and CGI under the direction of Shrek mastermind Andrew Adamson. Among its sprawling cast of humans and critters, Narnia features the mellifluous tones of Liam Neeson as the computer-generated lion, rightful ruler of the kingdom of Narnia, who must face off against the usurping, ice-happy White Witch (Tilda Swinton) and her minions of scary beasties.

The only film with a bigger haul during the pre-Christmas season is another fantasy you might have heard of--a little film called The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. That J.R.R. Tolkien adaptation rang up $72.6 million on its first weekend in 2003.

While another fantasy adventure looms--Universal's remake of the classic ape tale King Kong, directed by Lord of the Rings' Peter Jackson--on Wednesday, Disney is optimistic that Narnia's magic will stick.

"I think there's more than enough room for two major hits in a season, and because of the length of the holidays, both films are going to be here for a long, long time," Chuck Vane, Disney's head of distribution, tells the Associated Press.

Narnia also earned $42 million more in overseas markets.

The arrival of the younger-kid-friendly Narnia broke the spell of the PG-13 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. After three straight weeks on top, the adaptation of J.K. Rowling's boy wizard novel dropped to third place. The Warner Bros. release earned $10.3 million, off 48 percent from last week, to bring its four-week domestic gross to $244.1 million.

Sandwiched between in second place was Syriana, the oil-fueled thriller starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Amanda Peet and Chris Cooper. Moving into wide release at 1,752 in its third week, the R-rated Warners release grossed $11.7 million on a per-site average of $6,699. Its three-week total is now $13.3 million.

In fourth place, Walk the Line dropped just 40 percent, earning $5.7 million. The PG-13 Fox biopic, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon as the legendary singers Johnny Cash and June Carter, has now grossed $77 million. Fox's Chris Aronson notes that Walk the Line has already surpassed the $75 million domestic gross for Universal's Ray, which earned Jamie Foxx a slew of awards for his portrayal of Ray Charles. Fox is banking on similar success for Phoenix and WItherspoon.

In limited release, the R-rated Focus release Brokeback Mountain broke very big the same weekend it was named Best Picture by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. At just five sites, the gay cowboy drama, directed by Ang Lee and starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, roped in $109,485 per screen for $547,425.

Also packing the house was Sony's PG-13 Memoirs of a Geisha. Starring Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, Michelle Yeoh and Ken Watanabe and directed by Rob Marshall, the Oscar bait film was showcased at just eight sites, wrapping up $85,313 per screen for $682,504.

Further down the art-house pecking order was Mrs. Henderson Presents, an R-rated Weinstein Co. release starring British veterans Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins as the odd couple who founded London's famous nudie revue Windmill Theatre. The film averaged $9,224 per screen at six sites for $55,344.

Meanwhile, there was more bad news for Aeon Flux. Charlize Theron's action-chick flick tumbled 64 percent in its second week after a limp opening. Falling from second to sixth place, the anim?-inspired movie took in just $4.6 million to bring its total to just $20.2 million.

Nevertheless, the overall box office was up 51 percent from last week and 15 percent from this time last year, when the crime caper Ocean's Twelve headlined.

Here's a rundown of the top 10 films, per Exhibitor Relations:

1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, $65.6 million
2. Syriana, $11.7 million
3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, $10.3 million
4. Walk the Line, $5.7 million
5. Yours, Mine & Ours, $5.1 million
6. Aeon Flux, $4.6 million
7. Just Friends, $3.8 million
8. Pride & Prejudice, $2.6 million
9. Chicken Little, $2.3 million
10. Rent, $2 million

(Originally published Dec. 11, 2005 at 1:30 p.m. PT.)