'Ninja Turtles' wrest top box office spot from 'X-Men'

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, industry estimates showed Sunday.
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 instalment 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) — AFP