LOS ANGELES, Feb 9 — Horror flick Send Help showed staying power, leading the North American box office for a second straight week with US$10 million (RM40 million) in ticket sales, industry estimates showed yesterday.

The 20th Century flick stars Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien as a woman and her boss trying to survive on a deserted island after their plane crashes.

It marks a return to the genre for director Sam Raimi, who first made his name in the 1980s with the Evil Dead films.

Debuting in second place at US$7.2 million was rom-com Solo Mio starring comedian Kevin James as a groom left at the altar in Italy, Exhibitor Relations reported.

“This is an excellent opening for a romantic comedy made on a micro-budget of US$4 million,” said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research, noting that critics and audiences have embraced the Angel Studios film.

Post-apocalyptic Sci-fi thriller Iron Lung — a video game adaptation written, directed and financed by YouTube star Mark Fischbach, known by his pseudonym Markiplier — finished in third place at US$6.7 million.

Stray Kids: The Dominate Experience, a concert film for the K-pop boy band Stray Kids filmed at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, opened in fourth place at US$5.6 million.

And in fifth place at US$4.5 million was Luc Besson’s English-language adaptation of Dracula, which was released in select countries outside the United States last year.

Gross called it a “weak opening for a horror remake,” noting the film’s total production cost of US$50 million and its modest US$30 million take abroad so far.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

• Zootopia 2 (US$4 million)
• The Strangers: Chapter 3 (US$3.5 million)
• Avatar: Fire and Ash (US$3.5 million)
• Shelter (US$2.4 million)
• Melania (US$2.38 million) — AFP