LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the blockbuster superhero flick, leapt for a second straight week to the heights of the box office - although with greatly diminished ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The movie, which pits two iconic superheroes against one other, earned US$52.4 million (S$70.75 million) in its second weekend, according to estimates from industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.

In its debut weekend, it raked in a whopping US$166 million despite a number of negative reviews.

Starring Ben Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill in the role of Superman, the characters' first big-screen pairing sets up the coming Justice League and Wonder Woman movies.

A stellar cast for the Warner Bros blockbuster also features former Miss Israel Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jesse Eisenberg as the eccentric villain Lex Luthor and Amy Adams as Superman's love interest Lois Lane.

Animated Disney film Zootopia about an intrepid rabbit police officer who works with a fox to solve a crime in the Zootopia animal kingdom was in second place for a second week, earning US$20.0 million.

Comedy sequel My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 which reunites the main cast from the 2002 sleeper hit of the same name, earned US$11.1 million, landing in third.

Debuting in fourth was another sequel God's Not Dead 2, about a public school teacher who answers a student's question about Jesus and finds herself in hot water with the law. It raked in US$8.1 million.

Landing in fifth was Miracles from Heaven, a drama about a young girl suffering from a rare digestive disorder who finds herself miraculously cured. The movie took in US$7.6 million.

Rounding out the rest of the top 10 were: - The Divergent Series: Allegiant (US$5.7 million) - 10 Cloverfield Lane (US$4.8 million) - Meet the Blacks (US$4.09 million) - Eye in the Sky (US$4.06 million) - Deadpool (US$3.5 million).