Los Angeles - Puss in Boots pounced on Tower Heist and Harold & Kumar at the box office.
The DreamWorks 3D animated film, distributed by Paramount Pictures, earned $33m in its second weekend, according to studio estimates on Sunday.
The PG-rated film, focusing on the popular swashbuckling feline voiced by Antonio Banderas from the Shrek series, surprisingly toppled the weekend's two major new releases.
Universal's PG-13 revenge romp Tower Heist, starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, palmed $25m in the No 2 spot, while the R-rated Warner Bros sequel A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas with John Cho, Kal Penn and Neil Patrick Harris unwrapped $13m in third place.