Spider-Man tops US box office for second week

Los Angeles

SPIDER-MAN: Far From Home beat back competition from two debut films at the North American box office, winning for a second week straight by raking in an estimated US$45.4 million, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations said on Monday.

The latest instalment in the blockbuster superhero franchise, which picks up where Avengers: Endgame left off, has earned an impressive US$847 million worldwide.

Retaining its number two spot was Disney/Pixar film Toy Story 4, which took in US$20.9 million on its fourth weekend of release. The film again features the voices of Tom Hanks as cowboy doll Woody and Tim Allen as toy astronaut Buzz Lightyear.

Debuting in third place was alligator disaster thriller Crawl, about a father and daughter battling a pack of hungry gators after a hurricane hits their Florida hometown. It took in US$12 million.

In fourth position was another debut flick, Stuber - a buddy comedy starring comedian Kumail Nanjiani and professional wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy). The film, which earned less than stellar reviews, took in US$8.2 million.

Yesterday, the romantic comedy based on an odd premise - what if a global blackout meant that a struggling musician was one of the only people on Earth to remember the Beatles? - was in fifth place.

The crowd-pleaser - directed by Danny Boyle of Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire fame - earned US$6.7 million.

Rounding out the weekend's top 10 were: Aladdin (US$6.2 million); Annabelle Comes Home (US$5.6 million); Midsommar (US$3.7 million); The Secret Life of Pets 2 (US$3.2 million); and Men in Black: International (US$2.2 million). AFP