An embarrassment of 'Wonderland' riches

If early estimates for weekend movie ticket sales can be believed, Disney’s new “Alice in Wonderland” had the eighth biggest film opening, with $116 million, bumping 2001′s “Spider-Man” ($114 million) to ninth place on the all-time list.

Tim Burton’s take on the Lewis Carroll classics — which mixes live-action, motion-capture technology and computer-generated imagery — also had the biggest 3D opening ever (as much as 80 percent of its opening grosses may have come from 3D showings of the movie), as well as the biggest IMAX format opening weekend ($11.9 million).

All this for a film that the supposed experts were predicting would earn between $65 million-$75 million in its first three days of business. Added to the film’s equally huge overseas “take,” the movie is already well on its way to recouping its $200 million.

Of course, the analysts may have based their expectations off the performance for “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” which also teamed actor Johnny Depp and director Burton. They conveniently forgot that the Gothic 2007 musical was rated R, not PG like this more-pleasing fantasy was.

And of course, “Alice” also made more than the other nine movies in the weekend top 10 combined.

Poster art courtesy Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures