NEW YORK - Two superheroes, both alike in not taking themselves too seriously, had very different experiences at the box office this weekend.

Shazam! made US$25.1 million (S$34 million) domestically, a solid sum that kept it in first place after a strong debut last weekend.

Shazam! picked up an additional US$35.9 million outside of North America, which brings the film's worldwide gross to US$258.8 million.

But a mix of wisecracks and superpowers is no guarantee of success, as evidenced by another new movie: Hellboy.

That film, a bloody, R-rated affair, landed in third place with a dreary US$12 million in North American theatres, well below analysts' expectations.

More successful was Little, which landed in second place with US$15.5 million, according to Comscore, which compiles box-office data.