“National Treasure: Book of Secrets” made box-office top of the list in the U.S. on Sunday, earning an estimated $45.5 million in its opening weekend. The action sequel managed to beat the $35.1 million the first movie made on its debut in 2004, putting Nicholas Cage in the spotlight once more.

The 2007 production, also starring Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Ed Harris, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Bruce Greenwood, and Helen Mirren, revolves once more around an incident in American history, which takes Ben Franklin Gates (Nicholas Cage) into different locations, from Washington to Paris and London.

The movie is set to have its European release in February, and it is expected to have an equally big success. For the time being, “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” seats comfortably in the spot light is expected to top the earnings of the first National Treasure.

Looking back at the last ten days, Warner Bros’ “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” and “I Am Legend” topped Twentieth Century Fox’s “Alvin and the Chipmunks”, earning an estimated $137 millions.

Following “I Am Legend”, that came second this weekend at the box-office, is “Alvin and the Chipmunks, down one spot from last week, adding $29 million to a total of $84.7 million in ten days.

Outside the top three came “Charlie Wilson’s War” with an estimated $9.6 million, and the musical “Sweeney Todd; The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, starring Johnny Depp, $9.35 million, out of which critics have greater expectations, considering the number of Golden Globes nominees they’ve earned this year.

According to Media by Numbers, the top 12 movies totaled an estimated $153.5 million, which topped last year’s same weekend by 41 percent. The week to come promises to give an outstanding competition, with the release on Tuesday of “The Great Debaters” starring Denzel Washington, and “The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep”, and a new sequel, “Alien vs. Predator”.