LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Science-fiction blockbuster "Guardians of the Galaxy" edged closer to the US$300 million (S$377 million) mark at the top of the North American box office as Hollywood licked its wounds after the worst summer season in years, industry data showed Monday.

The Marvel comics adaptation added another US$10.4 million at the weekend to its six-week haul for a total US$294.8 million in earnings, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

The performance was a rare bright spot in a dismal summer season at theatres which drew to a close last week after posting its worst numbers since 2006, down 15 per cent from 2013.

Second place in the box office standings was "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," which added US$6.5 million to its total earnings of US$174.7 million.

In third was comedy "Let's Be Cops" with US$5.57 million, followed by teen melodrama "If I Stay" with a whisker less on US$5.56 million.

"The November Man" was fifth with US$4.3 million. The thriller stars former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan as an ex-CIA agent lured out of retirement for one last dangerous mission.

Sixth place went to "As Above/So Below," a thriller set in the catacombs beneath Paris, which took in US$3.9 million.

In seventh spot was dystopian drama "The Giver" based on Lois Lowry's 1993 novel, starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep and Brenton Thwaites, which took US$3.42 million.

"When the Game Stands Tall," based on the true story of a US high school coach who leads his team on a 151-game winning streak, slipped one place to eighth spot with US$3.41 million.

"The Hundred-Foot Journey," a romantic comedy with Helen Mirren and Om Puri as culture-clashing restaurateurs, was ninth with US$3.1 million.

Rounding out the top 10 was "Lucy," director Luc Besson's sci-fi drama starring Scarlett Johansson as a drug mule who acquires psychic powers when she accidentally takes a potent new substance during a deal that goes wrong. The film took just under US$2 million.