U.S. actor Will Smith attends the news conference to promote his latest movie "I Am Legend" in Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 7, 2007. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, Dec. 17(Xinhuanet) -- The Warner Bros. tale "I Am Legend" starring Will Smith as a plague survivor who may be the last living human, debuted with the biggest December opening ever in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.

    The film brought in 76.5 million U.S. dollars and was the seventh consecutive chart-topper for the versatile Smith. It combined with a surprisingly strong 45 million dollars debut for "Alvin and the Chipmunks" to end the box office's five-week losing streak.

    "It's no wonder Will Smith feels so lonely. Everyone else on Earth is in the movie theater," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

    "I Am Legend" ranks as the best December opening of all time, beating the 72.6 million dollar start for "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" in 2003, the Time Warner Inc-owned studio said, noting it had hoped for an opening in the mid-40 million range.

    Smith plays a military virologist who has survived a human-made virus that apparently killed everyone else on the planet. Music video veteran Francis Lawrence directed the film, working from an adaptation of a novel by Richard Matheson.

    On the other hand, "I Am Legend" smashed Smith's personal debut record, easily exceeding the 52.1 million opening weekends of "I, Robot" and "Men in Black II," his previous bests.

    The film also earned 20 million from eight Asian markets, opening at No. 1 in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia and India, and at No. 2 in Hong Kong, Warner Bros. said.

    "Alvin and the Chipmunks" squealed its way to No. 2 with 45 million, more than doubling the expectations of its distributor, Twentieth Century Fox.

    The film combines real actors, led by Jason Lee, with animated renderings of Alvin, Simon and Theodore, the beloved helium-voiced singing trio. The News Corp-owned studio said the film played strongly with family audiences, as expected, but also drew plenty of young-adult viewers.

    The previous No. 1 movie, New Line Cinema's fantasy "The Golden Compass," nose-dived in its second weekend, coming in third with 9 million, down a dismal 65 percent from its less-than-expected 25.8 million debut a week earlier.

    (Agencies)