The youthful policemen of 1980s remake 21 Jump Street seized the head of the North American box office this weekend.

Disney announced that it expected to lose $200 million (€151.5 million) on the movie (John Carter)

The film with underachieving cops Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, sent on an under-cover counternarcotics mission at a high school, pocketed $36.3 million (€27.4 million) in its first weekend, Exhibitor Relations said.

Last week’s top earner, Dr Seuss’ The Lorax, took in $22.8 million, for a $158.4 million total in three weeks in theatres.

The animated movie about the hazards of industrialised society, featuring the voices of Danny DeVito, Zac Efron and Taylor Swift, set a record two weeks ago for the highest non-sequel animated film debut with $70.2 million.

Third place went to critically panned Disney feature John Carter, based on books by Tarzan author Edgar Rice Burroughs. The film, about an ex-Civil War soldier magically transported to Mars, earned $13.6 million. Disney announced that it expected to lose $200 million (€151.5 million) on the movie in its second fiscal quarter, dragging its whole movie budget into the red.

Project X, a coarse comedy about a high school party that gets out of control, came in fourth place with $4 million. In fifth came Act of Valor, a war film starring active duty US Navy SEALs, with $3.7 million in receipts. Eddie Murphy comedy A Thousand Words was in sixth place with $3.6 million in earnings.

CIA-based thriller Safe House, starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, kept its seventh spot with $2.7 million in weekend receipts. In eighth was Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, a family-friendly 3D adventure starring former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, earning $2.4 million.

Will Ferrell’s outlandish comedy Casa de mi Padre, cashed in $2.3 million to land in ninth for its debut weekend.

Rounding out the top 10 was This Means War, a romantic action-comedy starring Reese Witherspoon, with $2.1 million.