'Boo 2!' wakes up box office on flat weekend

Boo 2! A Madea Halloween. Image Courtesy: EW via Lionsgate/Chip Bergman

WASHINGTON: It was a dismal weekend for North American cinemas — but Liongates' Boo 2! A Madea Halloween managed to scare some life back into the box office, bagging the top spot, according to industry estimates Sunday.

Starring Tyler Perry — who also wrote, directed and produced the comedy horror sequel — Boo 2! sees Madea (Perry) and the gang head to a haunted campground, only to then have to escape monsters lurking there.

With takings of $21.7 million, Boo 2! is the tenth Perry title to snatch the top spot on its opening weekend, Deadline reports.

Geostorm — another new release — took second place, but it was a disappointing opening for Warner Bros' latest offering, with earnings of $13.3 million.

The sci-fi disaster thriller follows Gerard Butler as a satellite designer tasked with saving the world from an apocalyptic storm — caused by climate-controlling satellites attacking the planet.

Meanwhile, Happy Death Day dropped to third place from last week's top spot — with takings plummeting from $26 million to $9.3 million.

Starring Jessica Rothe, the comedy horror slasher follows a college student who repeatedly relives the day she was murdered until she discovers who killed her.

Sitting in fourth was Warner Bros' Blade Runner: 2049, which halved its earnings for the second weekend running, taking $7.1 million.

The sci-fi reboot features Ryan Gosling as a new Los Angeles Police Department "blade runner" charged with killing bioengineered androids known as "replicants".

After uncovering a secret that threatens society, he embarks on a search for Harrison Ford's character, a former blade runner who disappeared 30 years ago.

In at fifth was Sony's new release Only The Brave, starring Josh Brolin, with earnings of $6 million.

Based on a true story, the drama tells the tale of the Granite Mountain Hotshots — a group of firefighters in Arizona — who battle to protect a town from a historic wildfire.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

1. The Foreigner ($5.4 million)
   
2. It ($3.5 million)
   
3. The Snowman ($3.4 million)
   
4. American Made ($3.1 million)
   
5. Kingsman: The Golden Circle ($3 million)