LOS ANGELES, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- 20th Century Fox's film "Maze Runner: The Death Cure" topped North American box office in its opening weekend with an estimated 23.5 million U.S. dollars, ending a three-week reign of Sony's "Jumanji: Welcome the "Jungle."
The dystopian science fiction action film, starring Dylan O'Brien and Kaya Scodelario, is the sequel to the 2015's "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials" and the third and final installment in the "Maze Runner" film series. All three installments were directed by Wes Ball. The plot of the latest installment follows the thrilling rescue adventure of a group of the last of the "Gladers" who are immune to the Flare virus that infected the world's population.
Sony's "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" moved to second place with an estimated 16.4 million dollars in its sixth weekend in North American theaters. The action adventure comedy film has brought in more than 338 million dollars to date in North America, according to the studio figures collected by comScore.
Directed by Jake Kasdan and starring Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan, the sequel to 1995's "Jumanji" follows four teenagers who are transported into the video game world of Jumanji and must work together to beat the game in order to return to the real world.
Entertainment Studio Motion Pictures' "Hostiles" landed in third place with an estimated 10.2 million dollars in its sixth weekend but the first weekend of wide release, bringing its North American cume to 12.05 million dollars to date. Directed by Scott Cooper and starring Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Ben Foster and Timothée Chamalet, the western film follows a U.S. Cavalry officer who must escort a Cheyenne war chief and his family back to their home in Montana in 1892.
20th Century Fox is the biggest winner of the North American box office this weekend with three films among the top five. Except for "Maze Runner: The Death Cure" in the top spot, "The Greatest Showman" and "The Post" occupied the fourth and fifth place respectively. The musical biopic "The Greatest Showman" took in an estimated 9.5 million dollars in its sixth weekend and the Oscar Best Picture nominee "The Post" earned an estimated 8.85 million dollars in its third weekend of wide release.
