'Guardians' tops sluggish North America box office

Science-fiction blockbuster "Guardians of the Galaxy" edged closer to the $300 million mark at the top of the North American box office as Hollywood licked its wounds after the worst summer season in years, industry data showed Monday.
The Marvel comics adaptation added another $10.4 million at the weekend to its six-week haul for a total $294.8 million in earnings, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.
The performance was a rare bright spot in a dismal summer season at theaters which drew to a close last week after posting its worst numbers since 2006, down 15 percent from 2013.
Second place in the box office standings was "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," which added $6.5 million to its total earnings of $174.7 million.
In third was comedy "Let's Be Cops" with $5.57 million, followed by teen melodrama "If I Stay" with a whisker less on $5.56 million.
"The November Man" was fifth with $4.3 million. The thriller stars former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan as an ex-CIA agent lured out of retirement for one last dangerous mission.
Sixth place went to "As Above/So Below," a thriller set in the catacombs beneath Paris, which took in $3.9 million.
In seventh spot was dystopian drama "The Giver" based on Lois Lowry's 1993 novel, starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep and Brenton Thwaites, which took $3.42 million.
"When the Game Stands Tall," based on the true story of a US high school coach who leads his team on a 151-game winning streak, slipped one place to eighth spot with $3.41 million.
"The Hundred-Foot Journey," a romantic comedy with Helen Mirren and Om Puri as culture-clashing restaurateurs, was ninth with $3.1 million.
Rounding out the top 10 was "Lucy," director Luc Besson's sci-fi drama starring Scarlett Johansson as a drug mule who acquires psychic powers when she accidentally takes a potent new substance during a deal that goes wrong. The film took just under $2 million.