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 10th 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 bio-engineered androids known as “replicants.”

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). – AFP