The hunger for 3-D pictures, a blockbuster publicity campaign and curiosity about another madcap performance from Johnny Depp pushed 'Alice in Wonderland' to a stratospheric No. 1 at the weekend box office. This Walt Disney Studios picture, directed by Tim Burton and starring Depp as an orange-haired Mad Hatter, made an estimated $116.3 million at North American theaters, according to Hollywood.com, which tracks sales information. The movie took in an additional $94 million overseas, breaking a smattering of foreign records, for a total of $210.3 million. The turnout -- the biggest 3-D opening on record, surpassing the one for 'Avatar' -- was notable for its timing: late winter, normally a quiet time at the multiplex. Hollywood has been trying to open new pockets on the calendar for its big-budget 'tent pole' movies, typically reserved for summer and Christmas, and the results for 'Alice in Wonderland' signal it is succeeding. Higher-priced 3-D tickets helped this film, which cost an estimated $200 million to make and received mixed reviews. Disney booked the movie into 2,251 locations that offered 3-D screenings, which tack an additional $3 to $5 onto the ticket price. All of Imax's theaters played it, dropping 'Avatar' per a contract with Disney. 'There is a halo effect going on in the marketplace from 'Avatar,'' said Greg Foster, Imax's chairman for filmed entertainment. 'People who normally don't go to theaters came out to see that 3-D movie and wanted more.' 'Alice in Wonderland,' adapted by Linda Woolverton from Lewis Carroll, also had little competition. The R-rated thriller 'Brooklyn's Finest' (Overture Films) was the only other movie to receive a broad release over the weekend; it sold $13.5 million for second place. Disney's live-action studio, undergoing a brutal management overhaul following a fallow period at the box office, has needed the morale boost that comes with a big hit. Executives there were buoyant on Sunday, particularly because the film succeeded in attracting a varied audience: families, teenage girls (groups of whom arrived in costumes), older Carroll fans and young guys who like Burton and Depp. 'The next three to four weeks are kids out of school for spring break, so we are really excited about the strong word of mouth,' said Chuck Viane, Disney's president for distribution. Still, 'Alice' is a victory with an asterisk. The studio's new leaders get credit for a well-oiled release that tapped Disney's consumer-products division for promotional help. They also successfully navigated a threatened boycott from some theater owners, who were angry about Disney's plans to push up the DVD release. But the film was put into production by a team of executives who have since been fired. Martin Scorsese's 'Shutter Island' (Paramount) was third for the weekend with about $13.3 million for a new North American total of $95.8 million. The comedy 'Cop Out' (Warner Brothers) was fourth with about $9.1 million and a new total of $32.4 million, while 'Avatar' (20th Century Fox) was fifth with $7.7 million ($720 million total). 