LOS ANGELES: Superhero flick “Chronicle” topped the North American box office on its debut weekend, data showed Monday, fending off “The Woman in Black,” and knocking Liam Neeson's “The Grey,” into third place.
“Chronicle,” which tells the story of three high school students who acquire incredible powers, brought in $22 million in ticket sales, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.
Horror film “The Woman In Black,” starring British actor Daniel Radcliffe, famous for his long run in the Harry Potter saga, came in a close second, notching $20.87 million on what was also its debut weekend at theaters.
The dark film, which was first a novel and then a classic stage play, finds young lawyer Radcliffe visiting a remote village where he investigates how residents are terrorized by the ghost of a vengeful woman.
Slipping from last week's top spot was “The Grey,” a drama starring action man Neeson about plane crash survivors in Alaska fending off hungry wolves. It took in $9.30 million.
The adventure thriller came just ahead of another Alaska-set film “Big Miracle,” a feel-good animal flick starring Drew Barrymore helping to save a family of whales, which made $7.76 million.
“Underworld 4: Awakening,” the latest take in the series about the exploits of a woman vampire warrior and starring Kate Beckinsale, dropped from second to fifth spot last week, pulling in $5.5 million.
In sixth was Katherine Heigl comedy “One for the Money” which took $5.21 million on its second weekend. In seventh was “Red Tails” recounting the heroic World War II deeds of black Tuskegee Airmen pilots, with $4.74 million.
“The Descendants” took eighth spot with $4.55 million, with the George Clooney family drama maintaining a surge in ticket sales in its 12th week in theaters after being nominated in the best picture, best director and best actor categories of the upcoming Oscars.
Thriller “Man on a Ledge,” starring Sam Worthington, was ninth, netting $4.35 million on its second weekend in theaters.
“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” the Tom Hanks-Sandra Bullock film telling the story of a family affected by the September 11 attacks in 2001, rounded out the top 10, taking in $3.8 million in sales.
Here's the trailer of "Chronicle":
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