NEW YORK (Bloomberg) - It, the successful horror film from Warner, returned to lead the box office in its fourth weekend, part of a stellar run that pushed domestic theatres' September ticket sales to a record.

Based on a Stephen King horror story, It rose from second place a week ago to collect an estimated US$17.3 million (S$24 million) in US and Canadian theatres, ComScore said.

Tom Cruise returned to the big screen over the weekend in American Made, which placed second with US$17.02 million.

Another new release Flatliners was fifth with US$6.7 million.

After the worst summer in a decade, theatre and studio executives are basking in a recovery, with several big pictures on tap that may extend the rebound.

September closed with record sales in North America, surpassing the old mark of US$616.4 million set in 2015, according to ComScore.