LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Superhero sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier maintained the top rank at the North American box office this weekend, estimates showed on Sunday, April 13, 2014.

The latest big-screen blockbuster featuring the iconic Marvel superhero took in US$41.4 million (S$51.7 million), figures from box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.

The performance held off another sequel, animated children's movie Rio 2, a follow-up to the 2011 hit about a family of blue macaw parrots.

The movie, which features the voices of Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway in the lead roles, took in US$39 million during its debut.

In third spot was another debutante, horror film Oculus, about an antique mirror possessed with evil spirits. It garnered US$12 million.

Kevin Costner's latest big-screen appearance - sports drama Draft Day - made fourth place.

The film, which sees Costner playing an American football team's general manager on the day of the NFL draft, picked up US$9.75 million.

In fifth spot was Divergent, the dystopian tale of a young woman in a futuristic society, based on the popular young adult novel by the same name.

The movie reeled in US$7.5 million.

Biblical epic Noah, starring Russell Crowe, sank to sixth place with US$7.45 million.

The religiously themed God's Not Dead, which tells the story of a college freshman who debates his atheist philosophy professor, dropped to seventh with US$5.5 million.

Wes Anderson's quirky comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel, which took US$4 million, slipped two places to eighth.

Rounding out the top 10 were Muppets Most Wanted with US$2.2 million and animated children's film Mr Peabody And Sherman, based on characters from the 1960s television cartoon Rocky and Bullwinkle, with US$1.8 million.