Ninja Turtles wrest top box office spot from X-Men

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The 3-D action sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows debuted on top of the North American box office with relatively modest earnings of US$35.3 million (S$47.9 million), industry estimates showed on Sunday (June 5).

Starring Megan Fox, the latest film in a franchise based on an eighties comic book series and subsequent TV cartoon performed surprisingly well in this sequel-heavy summer.

X-Men: Apocalypse - the ninth installment in the series - fell to number two after making US$22.3 million, in a troubling second weekend considering its blockbuster cast that includes Jennifer Lawrence.

The romantic tearjerker Me Before You nabbed number three in its opening weekend with US$18.3 million in ticket sales.

The film, based on a best-selling novel of the same name, stars Emilia Clarke of Game of Thrones.

Big-budget industry disappointment Alice Through the Looking Glass, starring Johnny Depp, fell to number four, grossing just under US$10.7 million in its second weekend.

The 3-D animation comedy inspired by a video game The Angry Birds Movie fell to fifth place, making US$9.8 million.

Final industry weekend figures will be released Monday.

Rounding out the top 10 films of the weekend were: - Captain America: Civil War (US$7.6 million) - Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (US$4.7 million) - Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (US$4.6 million) - The Jungle Book (US$4.2 million) - The Nice Guys (US$3.5 million).