New flicks take a back seat at the box office

Los Angeles - Suspense thriller Don't Breathe held on tight to the top of the North American box office this weekend - keeping rival movies on tenterhooks for a second week running, industry estimates showed on Sunday.

Moviegoers plunked down $15.7m to see the horror twist on a home invasion, box office monitor Exhibitor Relations said in preliminary figures for Friday through Sunday.

The weekend for most people is extended a day by the Labor Day public holiday on Monday, the unofficial end of the American summer.

Don't Breathe tells the tale of what happens when a trio of thieves break into the house of a supposedly helpless rich blind man.

The film has earned $51.4m since its debut in the number-one spot last week.

Suicide Squad remained number-two moneymaker, at $10m. Starring Will Smith, Jared Leto and Margot Robbie as criminals hired to carry out secret missions, it has raked in $297.4m in its first five weeks, despite poor reviews.

Pete's Dragon jumped from sixth to third place, taking $6.5m. The Disney reboot of a 1977 family fantasy film tells the story of an orphaned boy, Pete, and his adventures with his best friend, Elliot, a furry - not scaly - dragon.

In fourth place is Kubo and the Two Strings, a 3D stop motion adventure fantasy about a one-eyed boy in ancient Japan who must battle the gods with a magical instrument. It made $6.5m.

Sausage Party, a raunchy animated comedy with Seth Rogen as the leading voice, takes fifth place at $5.3m.

Rounding out the top 10 films of the weekend are:

6. The Light Between Oceans ($5.0 million)

7. Bad Moms ($4.7 million)

8. War Dogs ($4.7 million)

9. Hell or High Water ($4.5 million)

10. Mechanic: Resurrection ($4.3 million)