Cruise's 'Mission: Impossible' tops US box office again

"Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" fought off competitors to claim the top spot on the North American box office chart for a second straight week, industry data showed Monday.

The fifth installment of the blockbuster franchise, which stars Hollywood heavyweight Tom Cruise as a top-secret agent battling a rogue global organization, earned $28.5 million.

The weekend brought the film's total haul since release to $107.8 million, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.

"Fantastic Four," a reboot of the comic book franchise about four youths transported to an alternate universe where they gain superpowers, debuted to poor reviews and a disappointing $25.7 million.

Also making its North American debut was "The Gift," a psychological thriller with Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall, which opened in third place with $11.9 million in weekend ticket sales.

"Vacation," starring Ed Helms, Christina Applegate and Chevy Chase in a remake of the comedy classic about a family holiday gone awry, dropped from second to fourth place with $9.0 million.

Marvel action flick "Ant-Man" was in fifth place with an estimated weekend gross of $7.9 million for a cumulative $147.5 million after four weeks in theaters.

Just behind it in sixth place with $7.4 million was animated comedy "Minions," whose yellow mischief-making creatures have raked in nearly $302.8 million since the movie's debut.

"Ricki and the Flash," starring Oscar winner Meryl Streep as a rock-and-roll singer who faces a reckoning with her long-suffering family, debuted in seventh place with $6.6 million in ticket sales.

"Trainwreck," the Amy Schumer-Judd Apatow comedy about a boozy commitment-phobic magazine writer, slipped to eighth from sixth place at $6.1 million.

Animated film "Pixels," about aliens who attack Earth after intercepting video games, dropped to ninth place, taking in $5.4 million.

Rounding out the top 10 with a box office take of $4.7 million was "Southpaw," starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a boxer at the end of his bruising career.
Source: AFP