Los Angeles - AFP
Audiences continue to feast on the latest "Hunger Games" movie, the top-grossing film in North America for a third straight week, according to industry estimates released on Sunday.
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1," starring Jennifer Lawrence as rebellious Katniss Everdeen, grossed $21.6 million this weekend, boosting its total haul so far to $257.7 million, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.
The performance was easily enough to keep animated-animal film "The Penguins of Madagascar" in second place. It pulled in $11.1 million in its second weekend in theaters, bringing its total to $49.6 million.
"Horrible Bosses 2," the sequel to a 2011 workplace comedy starring Jennifer Aniston, hauled in $8.6 million to rise from fifth to third place in its second weekend.
Animated robot flick "Big Hero 6" went from third to fourth place, with the Disney feature taking in $8.1 million in its fifth weekend in theaters.
Christopher Nolan's space exploration epic "Interstellar" was in fifth place, earning another $8 million to bring its total so far to $158.7 million.
Screwball comedy sequel "Dumb and Dumber To," starring Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey, stayed in sixth place with a $4.2 million haul.
The life story of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything" also was a non-mover, sticking in seventh place with a take-in of $2.7 million.
The thriller "Gone Girl" starring Ben Affleck pulled in $1.5 million this week for eighth spot.
Horror flick "The Pyramid," about a group of archeologists exploring a cursed tomb, debuted in ninth place with a haul of $1.4 million.
Rounding out the top 10 was dark comedy "Birdman" starring Michael Keaton, which pulled in another $1.2 million.