UPDATE 1-'Up' soars to top of North American box office

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By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES, May 31 (Reuters) - The tale of a gruff widower borne "Up" by a bunch of colored balloons soared to the top of the North American box office in the third best opening for a movie from the Pixar stable.

The comic but poignant animated 3D story brought in $68.2 million, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday, beating expectations by about $10 million and giving Pixar its most successful opening since "The Incredibles" ($70.5 million) and "Finding Nemo" ($70.3 million) in 2004 and 2003.

"We are ecstatic. It is playing across all demographics. We think we are set for a nice, long run through the summer," said Mark Zoradi, president of the Walt Disney Motion Picture Group.

Pixar, which has found box office gold with subjects ranging from bugs to toys, was acquired by Disney in 2006 and is now a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Co (DIS.N).

"Up" pushed "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" into second place with $25.5 million in another strong week for family-oriented movies.

Horror newcomer "Drag Me To Hell" from "Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi, opened in third place with $16.6 million, according to studio estimates.

"Up" became the first animated movie to open the Cannes film festival this month. Critics have heaped praise on the movie and the audience response appeared to give the lie to the notion in Hollywood that movies about old age have little commercial appeal.