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Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted has topped this weekend’s US box office.

The third instalment of the DreamWorks animated series took in an estimated $60.35m across 4,258 theatres.

Ridley Scott’s Prometheus finished in second place, bringing in $50m. However, the sci-fi project appeared at almost a thousand less cinemas than Madagascar 3.

Snow White and the Huntsman drops two to three from last weekend’s number one, taking in a further $23m.

Will Smith’s Men in Black III and The Avengers complete the top five, achieving $13.5m and $10.8m respectively.

The Avengers has now secured over $571m domestically, while Men in Black III has broken the $125m mark.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and What to Expect When You’re Expecting are level at six and seven, with Battleship and The Dictator each dropping five spots to eight and nine.

Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom climbs three places to number ten.

The US box office top ten in full (studio estimates):
1. (-) Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted – $60,350,000
2. (-) Prometheus – $50,000,000
3. (1) Snow White and the Huntsman – $23,021,000
4. (2) Men in Black III – $13,500,000
5. (3) The Avengers – $10,809,000
6. (6) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – $3,235,000
7. (7) What to Expect When You’re Expecting – $2,710,000
8. (4) Battleship – $2,286,000
9. (5) The Dictator – $2,150,000
10. (13) Moonrise Kingdom – $1,579,000

Christopher Nolan has criticised the increased digitisation of cinema, claiming that it hampers the experience of the audience.

Speaking about the use of digital technology at the Produced By Conference in Culver City, the director said that he “didn’t have any interest in being the research department for an electronics company”.

“It’s like filmmakers are being encouraged to buy cameras like we are buying iPods,” he explained. “[It’s] devaluing of what we do as filmmakers.”

After denying any involvement in a fourth instalment of the Batman series, Nolan also revealed that he believes film (as opposed to digital) capture and projection produces a better experience for the movie-goer.

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Snow White and the Huntsman is number one at the US box office this weekend.

The fantasy film, starring Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth, brought in an estimated $20.3 million from 3,773 locations on Friday (June 1).

Its total weekend gross has come in at an impressive $56.2 million, knocking down Will Smith’s science fiction comedy Men in Black 3 to the second place spot with $29.3 million.

Marvel’s Avengers holds on in third place, earning $20 million this weekend. The blockbuster film has grossed over $550 million since its debut last month, making it the third highest-grossing movie of all time.

Rounding out the top five are Battleship at number four with $4.8 million and Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator at number five with $4.7 million.

Horror movie Chernobyl Diaries dropped four spots this week, landing in at ninth place and earning $3 million. The low-budget horror has made a total of $14 million.

Andy Garcia’s For Greater Glory also made its box office debut this week at number ten, selling only $1.8 million in tickets.

The US box office top ten in full (studio estimates):
1. (-) Snow White and the Huntsman – $56,255,000
2. (1) Men in Black 3 – $29,300,000
3. (2) The Avengers – $$20,273,000
4. (3) Battleship – $4,810,000
5. (4) The Dictator – $4,725,000
6. (8) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – $4,600,000
7. (7) What to Expect When You’re Expecting – $4,430,000
8. (6) Dark Shadows – $3,860,000
9. (5) Chernobyl Diaries – $3,045,000
10. (-) For Greater Glory – $1,800,000

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes sequel has been given a title and release date.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes will arrive in cinemas on May 23, 2014, 20th Century Fox has revealed.

The film recently hired Contagion writer Scott Z Burns to work on a new draft of the script, which charts the continued ascension of the primates.

The first draft was penned by Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa.

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Game of Thrones season two will conclude with an extended finale, HBO has confirmed.

Season ender ‘Valar Morghulis’ will run for 64 minutes, according to HBOWatch.

Most Game of Thrones episodes run to around 54 to 55 minutes in length, meaning that the finale will include 10 minutes of additional material.

The episode – written by David Benioff and DB Weiss – will air on June 3 in the US and will be broadcast the following day on Sky Atlantic in the UK.

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Men in Black 3 has debuted at number one at the US box office this weekend.

The latest addition to the Men in Black franchise managed to rake in $18 million its opening night, with a total weekend gross of $55 million.

Starring Will Smith and Josh Brolin, the comedy was able to break the three-week first place streak of The Avengers, which came in second with $36.9 million. Its current total earnings to date are $513 million.

Making far less are Battlefield in third place with $10.8 million and Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator in fourth place, earning $9.6 million.

Controversial horror movie Chernobyl Diaries made its debut this weekend at number five, grossing $8 million.

Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows dropped two spots from last week with $7.5 million, coming in at number six.

Rounding out the top ten are The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel at number eight with $6.3 million, The Hunger Games at number nine with $2.7 million and Steve Harvey’s surprise hit Think Like a Man at number ten with $1.4 million.

The US box office top ten in full (studio estimates):
1. (-) Men in Black 3 – $55,000,000
2. (1) The Avengers – $36,987,000
3. (2) Battleship – $10,800,000
4. (3) The Dictator – $9,600,000
5. (-) Chernobyl Diaries – $8,000,000
6. (4) Dark Shadows – $7,515,000
7. (5) What to Expect When You’re Expecting – $7,150,000
8. (6) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – $6,350,000
9. (7) The Hunger Games The Hunger Games – $2,750,000
10. (8) Think Like a Man – $1,400,000

The Exorcist is set to be remade as a 10-part TV series.

Sean Durkin, director and writer of Martha Marcy May Marlene, will oversee the adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s novel and its famous 1973 big-screen version, according to Vulture.

The Excorcist series will however stray slightly from previous versions of the story, focusing instead on the events leading up to a demonic possession and how it affects the victim’s loved ones.

It is not know if original characters like Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) and her mother Chris (Ellen Burstyn) will be featured in the show, but Father Damien Karras – the performer of the exorcism played by Jason Miller in the film – is expected to appear.

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Sanctuary has been cancelled by Syfy, it has been confirmed.

The sci-fi drama – following an organisation that tracks powerful figures known as ‘Abnormals’ – ran for four seasons on the cable network.

Amanda Tapping (Dr Helen Magnus) confirmed the show’s axing on Twitter, writing: “To all the fans of Sanctuary we love and adore you. Thank you for the love and support. Now to the long dark tea time of my soul.”

Series stars Robin Dunne (Will) and Robert Lawrenson (Declan) also took to the social networking site, with Dunne thanking viewers for their “love and support” and Lawrenson expressing a “huge thank you to the phenomenal Sanctuary fans, cast, crew & producers for a wonderful run”.

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The Avengers has topped the US box office for the third week in a row.

Battleship, starring Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgard and Rihanna, came in second place with $25 million, followed by Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest comedy The Dictator in third place with $17 million.

The ensemble movie What to Expect When You’re Expecting, featuring Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Matthew Morrison and Elizabeth Banks, debuted in fifth place with $10 million.

Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows completed the top five movies, taking in $12 million for fourth place.

Jennifer Lawrence’s The Hunger Games continued to hold a place on the top ten list as it collected $3 million over the weekend, landing in seventh place.

The US box office top ten in full (studio estimates):
1. (1) The Avengers – $55,057,000
2. (-) Battleship – $25,300,000
3. (-) The Dictator – $17,415,000
4. (2) Dark Shadows – $12,770,000
5. (-) What to Expect When You’re Expecting – $10,500,000
6. (8) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – $3,250,000
7. (4) The Hunger Games The Hunger Games – $3,000,000
8. (3) Think Like a Man – $2,700,000
9. (5) The Lucky One – $1,765,000
10. (7) The Pirates! Band of Misfits – $1,450,000