They’re Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo and they’ve done the unthinkable: take over the North American box office.

The Spartans were doing quite a good job reigning over the American box office, bringing in buckets of money to Warner Bros. After its astounding $70 million earnings during a first weekend in theaters across Canada and the US, the comic-book adaptation continued to thrive, with 31.2 million dollars in ticket sales during its second weekend.

On its third weekend though it was overwhelmed by enthusiastic (and probably nostalgic) movie goers all set out to see “TMNT,” that is, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in a computer animated brand new release.

The superheroes of our childhoods brought in $25.4 million this weekend, having just been released on Friday. With a reported $30 million production cost, these mutant shell-sporting reptiles are sure to be a success for Warner Bros. and the Weinstein Company.

“TMNT” is the fourth entry in the franchise; the previous one, the live-action “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III,” opened at No. 1 in 1991 with $12.4 million, (in 1991 the average ticket price was $4.21; last year, it was $6.55, according to the Motion Picture Association of America).

The Persian war epic “300” slipped to second place after its two weeks at the top, bringing in about 20.5 million dollars in the three-day period. The film has gathered an astounding total of $162.4 million dollars in North America in the three weeks since its release.

Paramount's “Shooter,” an action film starring Mark Wahlberg and Danny Glover, debuted in third place with about $14.5 million. The movie shows Wahlberg as a former U.S. Marines sniper who is framed for assassinating the president.

“Shooter” was closely followed by the Disney road trip comedy “Wild Hogs” with about 14.4 million dollars, which totals its earnings so far to about $123.8 million. “The Last Mimzy,” a science fiction family film released by New Line Cinema, debuted in fifth place with an estimated 10.2 million dollars.

Sandra Bullock’s “Premonition” was sixth with $10.1 million, while the newly released   “The Hills Have Eyes 2” reached seventh place with $10 million.

“Reign Over Me,” a drama starring Adam Sandler as a heart-broken widower trying to extricate himself from eerie numbness induced by the pain of his loss, debuted in eighth place with $8 million.

“Pride,” a drama released last Friday by Lionsgate Entertainment, came in at number nine with $4 million and “Dead Silence” rounded out the Top 10 with $3.4 million.

All estimated receipts are from Box Office Mojo.