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Los Angeles - Superhero blockbuster Venom saved the day at the North American box office this weekend, pulling in an estimated $80m in ticket sales, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations reported on Sunday.
The film, the official launch of Sony's Marvel Universe, stars Tom Hardy as a journalist who becomes the host for an alien symbiote that gives him superpowers.
The character is a villain in the Spider-Man comic book world.
Despite being panned by critics, the movie comfortably broke the October opening weekend record by more than $20m, according to Box Office Mojo figures.
In second place was another new release, musical romance A Star Is Born, which took in $41.25m.
The third remake of the 1937 film of the same name, it marks the directing debut of Bradley Cooper, who stars as a musician who discovers and falls in love with a young singer played by pop superstar Lady Gaga.
Third place went to Warner Bros.'s Smallfoot, with earnings of $14.9m in its second weekend. The comic family animation tells the story of a group of Yeti who come across a human, with voicing by Channing Tatum, LeBron James and Danny DeVito.
Coming in fourth was last weekend's champion, Universal's Night School, whose earnings dropped nearly $16m to $12.3m this weekend.
The raucous comedy stars Kevin Hart as one student in a class of misfits working toward high school diplomas under the firm tutelage of Tiffany Haddish.
Fifth place went to Universal's family-friendly offering The House With a Clock in Its Walls, which slipped from third place last weekend with takings of $7.3m.
