A chemically enhanced superspy and a pair of bumbling politicians overtook 'The Dark Knight Rises' at the box office this weekend, after a three-week run at the top by the comic-book adaptation.

'The Bourne Legacy,' a thriller from Comcast Corp.'s CMCSA +0.52% Universal Pictures, and 'The Campaign,' a comedy from Time Warner Inc.'s TWX +0.82% Warner Bros. Pictures, emerged as the Nos. 1 and 2 films in North America, with respective grosses of $40.3 million and $27.4 million, according to early studio estimates.

'The Dark Knight Rises,' also from Warner Bros., earned $19.5 million, bringing its domestic cumulative gross to $390.1 million after four weeks.

'The Bourne Legacy' is an expansion of the action series based on Robert Ludlum's books. Originally starring Matt Damon, the franchise has grossed $944.9 million world-wide to date. The new installment, which cost $125 million to produce and was co-financed by Relativity Media LLC, focuses on a new lead character played by actor Jeremy Renner.

The film opened in line with studio expectations and appealed primarily to males, who made up 52% of the audience, and those over the age of 30, who made up 69% of the audience.

The film's solid debut opens the door to a variety of franchisecontinuation options, said Universal Pictures' president of distribution, Nikki Rocco. 'Certainly we wouldn't be discussing these opportunities if the film hadn't opened well,' she said.

In second place was 'The Campaign,' which stars Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as two candidates facing off for a congressional seat. The film was directed by Jay Roach, who also helmed 'Game Change,' this year's HBO political drama about the 2008 presidential election.