Summary 'The Predator' grabbed top spot at the North American box office this weekend.
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - "The Predator" -- the latest installment in the long-running sci-fi action series -- chewed up its rivals to debut atop the North American box office this weekend, industry data showed Sunday.
But the Fox reboot, which cost $88 million to make, will look to earn back some money in international markets, as its estimated $24 million haul did not meet expectations.
The movie, which comes more than 30 years after the franchise s original film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, courted controversy before its release when the studio cut a scene featuring an actor who was a registered sex offender.
Star Olivia Munn had requested the change, saying she was unaware of the actor s past when the scene was filmed. Director Shane Black initially said he hired the actor because he was a friend, but later issued a strong apology.
Dropping to second place was last week s top draw, horror movie "The Nun" -- the latest fright fest in the popular "Conjuring" series. It earned an estimated $18.2 million in its second week, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.
"Nun" stars Taissa Farmiga -- whose sister Vera headlined two "Conjuring" films -- in a story about a young nun, an exorcist and a guide stumbling onto a dark secret deep in Dracula country: the Romania of 1952 -- Transylvania, no less.
Opening in the third spot was "A Simple Favor," a tale about a mommy blogger (Anna Kendrick) investigating the disappearance of her friend (Blake Lively). The Lionsgate film raked in $16.1 million on the back of positive reviews.
Matthew McConaughey s new film "White Boy Rick" opened in fourth place with $8.8 million. The movie, based on a true story, stars the Oscar winner as the father of a teenage boy who became an informant for the FBI in the 1980s.
Glitzy rom-com "Crazy Rich Asians," another Warner Bros product along with "The Nun," fell to fifth place. The film, with a nearly all-Asian cast led by Henry Golding and Constance Wu, took in $8.7 million, building on a crazy-good run.
Its North American take stands at nearly $150 million, with another $28 million earned overseas.
