7 November 2011 Last updated at 04:31 ET

Puss in Boots keeps US box office chart crown

The film tells of Puss's adventures with sidekick Kitty Softpaws before meeting Shrek

Animated film Puss in Boots has topped the North American box office for a second week.

The 3D prequel to the Shrek series of films took $33m (£20.6m), dropping just 3% from its first week of ticket sales.

It held off two new comedy entries, Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy film Tower Heist at two and A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas at three.

Antonio Banderas reprise his role as the voice of the swashbuckling feline in Puss in Boots.

Tower Heist tells the story of Manhattan high-rise employees who plan a robbery to regain their losses from a Wall Street swindler, while buddy film Harold and Kumar is the third movie in the franchise.

NORTH AMERICAN BOX OFFICE

1. Puss in Boots - $33m

2. Tower Heist - $25.1m

3. A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas - $13m

4. Paranormal Activity 3 - $8.5m

5. In Time - $7.7m

Source: Hollywood.com

As box office takings typically decline at least 40% after a debut weekend, the success of Puss in Boots came as a surprise to industry watchers.

"This is unexpectedly great news. I really think it's driven by strong word of mouth and critic and fan momentum," said Anne Globe of Dreamworks, the producers of the film.

Low budget horror Paranormal Activity 3 dropped to four, with $8.5m (£5.3m) in tickets sales.

Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried sci-fi thriller In Time was at five, taking $7.7m (£4.8m) in its second week of release.