The China Mail - 'Superman' soars to top of N.American box office

The Warner Bros. and DC Studios film -- directed by James Gunn -- stars up-and-comer David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, and "The Marvelous Mrs Maisel" star Rachel Brosnahan as his perennial love interest Lois Lane.

"This is an outstanding domestic opening for the 7th episode in a superhero story that's been filmed for over 75 years," said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

"Mr Gunn chose not to rely on big stars. The storytelling and filmmaking are doing the work here."

"Jurassic World: Rebirth" -- the latest installment in the blockbuster dinosaur saga -- slipped to second place in its second week of release at $40 million in the United States and Canada, Exhibitor Relations said.

The Universal film, starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, takes viewers to an abandoned island research facility for the original Jurassic Park theme park, where secrets -- and genetically mutated dinosaurs -- are lurking.

"F1: The Movie," the Apple and Warner Bros. flick starring Brad Pitt as a washed-up Formula One driver who gets one last shot at redemption, took third place at $13 million.

"How to Train Your Dragon," Universal and DreamWorks Animation's live-action reboot of the popular 2010 film, came in at fourth place with $7.8 million.

"It's summertime and the big pictures are loud and visually dazzling: 'Superman,' 'Jurassic,' 'F1,' and 'How to Train Your Dragon'," Gross said.

"Audiences want to be transported and taken away, and they're getting what they want."

Disney/Pixar Animation's latest original film "Elio," the story of a young boy who is mistaken by aliens as an intergalactic ambassador for Earth, finished up the top five with $3.9 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"28 Years Later" ($2.73 million)

"Lilo & Stitch" ($2.7 million)

"Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning" ($1.5 million)

"M3GAN 2.0" ($1.4 million)

"Materialists" ($720,000)

B.Carter--ThChM