LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - As Bart Simpson would exclaim, "Ay Caramba!"

The proud underachiever and his family took the North American box office by storm on Sunday as "The Simpsons Movie" sold $71.85 million worth of tickets during its first weekend, according to estimates issued by distributor 20th Century Fox.

The animated film, which cost about $75 million to make, marks the big-screen debut of the beloved cartoon characters, who will begin their 19th season on television in the fall.

Fox, a unit of News Corp., had expected the movie to open in the $40 million range, said Chris Aronson, the studio's senior vice president of distribution.

The movie was also the top choice internationally, Fox said. Preliminary figures showed it earned about $100 million from 71 territories.

Last weekend's North American champion, the Adam Sandler comedy "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry," slipped to a distant No. 2 with $19.1 million. The film was released by Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal Inc.