Hitman's Bodyguard stays atop slowest box office in years

LOS ANGELES: "The Hitman´s Bodyguard" held top spot at the North American box office as the Labor Day weekend brought the curtain down on one of the most dismal summers for moviegoing in recent memory.

The four-day holiday weekend -- which unofficially signals the end of summer blockbuster season, was the worst in 17 years, industry watchers said, noting the lack of any major new releases.

Lionsgate´s "Hitman" took $10.6 million from Friday to Sunday ($13.3 million including Labor Day), according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations -- the only movie this summer to cling to the top for three straight weeks.

The action comedy, starring Ryan Reynolds as a bodyguard protecting a notorious hitman (Samuel L. Jackson), nudged ahead of Warner Bros.´s "Annabelle: Creation" for the second week running.

"Annabelle," part of the "Conjuring" horror movie franchise, took $7.5 million ($9.2 million over four days), placing it ahead of crime thriller "Wind River," which earned $6.2 million ($7.8 million) in ticket sales.

The Weinstein Co. movie stars Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen as federal agents trying to solve a murder on an Indian reservation.

In fourth, also from the Weinstein brothers, was the animated family picture "Leap!" about a young orphan, voiced by Elle Fanning, who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer in 19th century Paris.

It had a three-day net of $4.8 million ($6.3 million) while trundling along in fifth was Steven Soderbergh´s droll action film "Logan Lucky," which took $4.4 million ($5.5 million).

It stars Channing Tatum, Adam Driver and Riley Keough in an unconventional heist comedy set at a NASCAR race in North Carolina.

The season has been a rough one for the film industry. The ComScore website predicts final figures for summer ticket sales in North America will be down 15 percent on last year, with attendance down 16 percent.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

-- "Dunkirk" ($4.4 million/$5.6 million)

-- "Spider-Man: Homecoming" ($3.7 million/$4.7 million)

-- "Despicable Me 3" ($2.5 million/$3.25 million)

-- "The Emoji Movie" ($2.46 million/$3.27 million)

-- "Girl´s Trip" ($2.3 million/$2.8 million)