‘Joker’ tops N. American box office for second week

WASHINGTON: Warner Bros.’ “Joker” laughed all the way to the box office again this weekend as it took $55.9 million in North American movie theaters, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Monday.

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker” provides the backstory for the rise of Batman’s maniacal nemesis, painting a dark and disturbing portrayal of a would-be stand-up comedian’s descent into madness.

Last week, the film directed by Todd Phillips — maker of “The Hangover” trilogy — set a record for an October release, taking in $93.5 million in its first weekend.

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This weekend, United Artists’ family- and Halloween-friendly “The Addams Family” placed second, scaring up $30.3 million for its opening run.

It follows the mysterious and spooky clan as they prepare for a visit from some even creepier relatives.

In third, at $20.6 million, was Paramount’s new film “Gemini Man,” which stars Will Smith as a retired hitman who must face off against a younger clone of himself.

“Abominable” from Universal came in fourth, down from last week’s second, at $6.1 million.

The animated adventure tells the story of a teen and her friends trying to help a young Yeti reunite with its family as a wealthy man seeks to capture it as a prize.

And in fifth was Focus Features’ “Downton Abbey,” at $4.9 million. The cinematic follow-up to the hit TV series has the aristocratic Crawleys and their earnest staff scrambling to prepare for an unexpected visit by the British royals.

Rounding out the weekend’s top 10 were:

• “Hustlers” ($3.9 million)
• “Judy” ($3.2 million)
• “IT: Chapter Two” ($3.1 million)
• “Jexi” ($3.1 million)
• “Ad Astra” ($1.9 million)