'Project Hail Mary' tops N. America box office for second week

Space adventure flick "Project Hail Mary" topped the North American box office for a second straight week with $54.5 million in ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday. 

Ryan Gosling stars in the Amazon MGM film as a teacher-turned-astronaut who awakes on a spaceship with a mission to save Earth from a sun-dimming phenomenon.

It is adapted from a novel by Andy Weir, the author behind the 2015 hit "The Martian" starring Matt Damon.

Standing firm in second place was Disney/Pixar animated hit "Hoppers," with $12.2 million in the United States and Canada, according to Exhibitor Relations.

The latest original film from Disney's Pixar tells the story of a young animal lover who uses technology to transfer her consciousness into a robotic beaver so she can better communicate and protect wildlife.

Debuting in third place was horror flick "They Will Kill You," at $5 million.

The Warner Bros film -- which stars Zazie Beetz (TV's "Atlanta"), Tom Felton (of "Harry Potter" fame) and Oscar winner Patricia Arquette -- tells the tale of a woman working as a maid in a mysterious New York building where disappearances are common.

"These are respectable numbers for an original horror comedy with a modest budget of around $20 million to produce," said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. "Foreign business should be solid."

Fourth place went to Hindi-language spy thriller "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" with $4.75 million.

Released just three months after the original aired in North America, "Dhurandhar" continues the story of an Indian spy infiltrating Pakistani crime syndicates and politics, seeking to dismantle a terror network.

More from this section

War in the Middle East: latest developments

Dane County Republicans denounce violence after Trump supporter shooting

In Israel, air raid sirens spark anxiety and dilemmas

Considered political propaganda by some of India's neighbors, it has been notably banned in Pakistan.

Fifth place went to Universal's romance film "Reminders of Him," with $4.7 million.

It is the latest adaptation of a novel by Colleen Hoover and stars Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers.

Rounding out the top ten:

"Ready or Not 2: Here I Come" ($4 million)

"Scream 7" ($2.6 million)

"GOAT" ($2.2 million)

"Undertone" ($1.65 million)

"Forbidden Fruits" ($1.2 million)

bur-sst/dw