Who would have guessed that America was ready to let a red-headed girl take the box office over one of the greatest vampire slaying presidents we have ever had? I think everyone.

Yet again, anything that Pixar touches turns to gold for the studio Brave opened at number one and was whistling a nice Scottish tune to the top, make that a $66.7 million tune. This marks the fifth-best debut ever for a Pixar film and continues Pixar’s streak of number ones. All 13 of the studio’s releases have reached the number one spot in their first weekend of release, and Disney is not complaining.

The film’s main character, Merida, marked the first time Pixar made a film with a female as the lead character, which made the marketing of the film a little different for Disney. The company targeted the male population with ads that emphasized the film’s rambunctious Scottish clansmen and mischievous red-headed triplets. Girls were targeted with ads that focused mainly on the story and the character of Merida and her quest to change her fate rather than the triplets and the funny  .

I don’t think it really matters too much though. Disney and Pixar both know they have created a brand that stands above the rest with amazing story telling and thrilling characters that people of all ages, genders and race can relate to. It doesn’t hurt that the movies look really nice too.

In second place Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted made $20.2 million giving the film a $157.6 million in total after three weekends. The 1-2 finish of Brave and Madagascar 3 is just the third time in the past decade that two animated films have seen the one and two spots at the box office. The other two times were in November 2007, Beowulf and Bee Movie finished first and second and in November of 2004, The Incredibles and The Polar Express were top of the box office.

Although Madagascar 3  is set in Europe, it has yet to open in the UK, Germany and Italy because of the Euro Cup, which is taking all of the European people’s attention. Plus the British have the upcoming Olympics to worry about, so Madagascar 3 is the last thing on anyone’s minds in Europe.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter only earned $16.5 million and opened at third place. The film was attended by mostly males a little over the age of 25, and they were not pleased. The film received a C+ on CinemaScore.

This poor performance of Vampire Hunter at the box office kind of resembles what happened with Snakes on a Plane, which only earned $13.8 million in its 2006 debut. Both films garnered large amounts of attention from their straightforward and simple titles, but that early buzz didn’t translate to people actually wanting or going and seeing either film.

Here are the top 5 films from this weekend’s box office:

1. Brave-$66.7 Million

2. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted- $20.2 Million

3. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter- $16.5 Million

4. Prometheus- $10.0 Million

5. Snow White and the Huntsman $8.0 Million