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

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 an historic wildfire.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"The Foreigner" ($5.4 million)

"It" ($3.5 million)

"The Snowman" ($3.4 million)

"American Made" ($3.1 million)

"Kingsman: The Golden Circle" ($3 million)

Source: AFP