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Los Angeles - Sully, the real-life tale of how a US Airways pilot miraculously landed a disabled passenger jet on New York's Hudson River, debuted atop North America's box office this weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.
The film earned $35.5m in its opening weekend, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations, far outpacing the competition.
Tom Hanks plays the title role of Captain Chesley Sullenberger, who was hailed as a national hero in January 2009 after managing to save the lives of 155 passengers and crew as well as the aircraft, even though both of its engines had failed. (Read our review here)
In second place was erotic thriller When the Bough Breaks, which debuted with $15m in ticket sales.
Suspense flick Don't Breathe, which had topped the box office for two consecutive weeks, slid to third with $8.2m in tickets sold.
Fourth place went to Suicide Squad starring Will Smith, Jared Leto and Margot Robbie as criminals hired to carry out secret missions. It earned $5.65m this weekend, and a mammoth $307.4 m in six weeks of release.
The Wild Life a re-telling of the Robinson Crusoe story as seen by the animals on the island where he was shipwrecked opened with $3.4m in box office receipts.
