Dwayne Johnson ‘Black Adam’ rules North America box office

Los Angeles: Warner Bros.´ new film "Black Adam" blew away all competition this weekend, leading the North American box office with an estimated take of $67 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

A superhero origin story spun off from 2019´s "Shazam," "Black Adam" stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the titular villain, a former slave endowed with miraculous powers.

"As a spinoff, this is a strong opening," David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research said, adding that it was a "positive and steady step forward for DC Comics," the generator of many superhero films.

In a distant second was another new release, Universal´s "Ticket to Paradise," at $16.3 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period. Released earlier abroad, it has already taken in $80 million outside North America.

"This is a very good domestic opening for a romantic comedy," Gross said.

It stars two of Hollywood´s biggest stars, George Clooney and Julia Roberts, as a bickering, divorced couple who fly to Hawaii to try to sabotage their daughter´s wedding.

With Halloween approaching, the next two films were both horror specials.

Paramount´s "Smile" dropped one spot from last weekend to third, taking in $8.4 million. Sosie Bacon plays a therapist whose grasp on reality is shaken by a horrifying event.

Next was Universal´s blood-soaked "Halloween Ends," which dropped sharply from last weekend´s box-office-topping $41.3 million to just $8 million. Jamie Lee Curtis stars.

And in fifth was Sony´s family-friendly "Lyle Lyle Crocodile," at $4.2 million.

Overall, it was a good weekend for Hollywood, with combined revenue surpassing $100 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"The Woman King" ($1.9 million)

"Terrifier 2" ($1.9 million)

"Don´t Worry Darling" ($880,000)

"Amsterdam" ($818,000)

"Triangle of Sadness" ($600,000). (AFP)