NEW YORK • Director Patty Jenkins has admitted that she was not thrilled to hear that Gal Gadot had been cast as Wonder Woman.

But the 45-year-old film-maker should feel a whole lot better after Gadot's winning ways powered the movie past US$120 million (S$166 million) in ticket sales over the weekend to top the North American box office. It took in almost $3 million from last Wednesday to Saturday in Singapore.

The other new release in the United States, DreamWorks' animated Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, took second spot with US$23.5 million.

In an interview with Playboy magazine, she said: "I remember when I read in the news that Wonder Woman had been cast and my heart sank. I had been talking to the studio for so long about doing it and I was like, well, 'that's that'.

"I'm sure we wouldn't have made the same choice."

But she added: "I think they did a better job than I could have because I don't know that I would have scoured the earth as hard to find her. I don't know that I would've looked internationally. I would have just looked for an American girl."

Gadot was Miss Israel in 2004 and also served two years in the Israeli army. The impressive takings over the weekend mean Jenkins has made history with the biggest opening for a female director in the US.

While Wonder Woman has slayed the box office amid much critical acclaim, would she be a match for another superhero - one called Thor? According to Entertainment News, Gadot has not been afraid to throw the first "punch".

Last week, she said in a video: "Now, they asked me who would win, Wonder Woman or Thor? And I think it's Wonder Woman. Don't you, Chris?"

Chris Hemsworth, who will star in Thor: Ragnarok, which is slated to hit cinemas later this year, tweeted that Thor would lose.

Gadot's response was a restrained knockout: "I always knew you were a smart guy. But I think it's worth a fight. We should collide worlds."