LOS ANGELES — Liam Neeson’s airliner thriller “Non-Stop” arrived in first place at the weekend box office, effectively ending the Warner Bros. animated film’s three-week blockade at the top spot.

The Universal film stars Neeson as a federal air marshal on a doomed flight. “Non-Stop” ascended in its first weekend with $30 million domestically and $20 million internationally, according to studio estimates Sunday.

“I think the fact that audiences were ready for a suspense thriller has a lot to do with the film’s success, and obviously Liam is an absolute box office draw,” said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal.

Fox’s “Son of God” debuted closely behind “Non-Stop” in second place with $26.5 million domestically. The film recounts the story of Jesus’ life using footage from the production of History Channel’s 10-part miniseries “The Bible.”

“The Lego Movie,” which features the voices of Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks as characters from the block-building toy franchise, came in third place with $21 million.

A few contenders up for Oscars at Sunday’s 86th annual Academy Awards received a boost at the box office. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak, said the box office for “12 Years a Slave” was up 72 percent and “Dallas Buyers Club” was up 44 percent over last weekend.

1. “Non-Stop,” $30 million

2. “Son of God,” $26.5 million

3. “The Lego Movie,” $21 million

4. “The Monuments Men,” $5 million

5. “3 Days to Kill,” $4.9 million

6. “RoboCop,” $4.5 million

7. “Pompeii,” $4.3 million

8. “Frozen,” $3.6 million

9. “About Last Night,” $3.4 million

10. “Ride Along,” $3 million.