"Sex and the City" beat Indiana Jones at box office in North America, as the big-screen version of the HBO's popular television series debuted No. 1 with an estimated 55.7 million dollars this weekend.

The long-awaited film, with a huge female fan base, surprisingly knocked the latest Indiana Jones action-adventure from atop the box office, with the Harrison Ford flick selling 46 million dollars its second over the three-day period, according to studio figures released Sunday.

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," last weekend's box office leader, continued with strong business, as the Paramount release has earned 216.9 million dollars in U.S. and Canadian theaters after its opening on May 22.

Released by Warner Bros., "Sex and the City" became the top- opening romantic comedy of all-time, and the second biggest debut for a TV adaptation after "Mission: Impossible II," which opened with 57.8 million dollars in 2000.

Amid reports of group parties and thousands of sold-out screenings, women moviegoer flocking to theaters helped "Sex And The City" beat the most optimistic projections, which expected a gross in the 40-million-dollar range for the weekend.

Its phenomenal success at box office also trumped Hollywood's conventional wisdom that a film with a largely female cast and girlish storylines would limit its ability to sell tickets.

Meanwhile, Universal's low budget horror "The Strangers" debuted with an estimated 20.7 million dollar at No. 3, followed by Paramount's "Iron Man" and Disney's "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," respectively with 14 million and 13 million dollars for the weekend.