NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) - The Secret Life Of Pets 2 opened as the top film in North America over the weekend, beating a poorly reviewed finale to the X-Men series.

The sequel brought in US$47.1 million (S$64.3 million), according to research firm Comscore. That compared with estimates from US$51 million to US$62 million.

Dark Phoenix, acquired by Walt Disney in its takeover of Fox's entertainment business earlier this year, opened in second place with US$33 million.

But Pets 2 trailed the US$104 million opening for its 2016 predecessor, which had the best debut ever for an original animated film.

Some families may have opted instead to scoop up pre-sale tickets for the June 20 release of Toy Story 4.

Dark Phoenix - the last of the 19-year-long X-Men series made by Fox and the first to be distributed by Disney - had originally been set for a November 2018 release.

The later debut did not seem to help the movie, which was panned by critics.

Only 23 per cent of reviews were positive, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

Aladdin, in its third weekend, landed in No. 3, with US$24.5 million.