LOS ANGELES, Sept 21— Resident Evil, a horror movie based on a video game franchise, swept the North American box office with (US$60 million; RM245.1 million) opening weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The Sony-distributed movie is directed by Zach Cregger and stars Austin Abrams, who plays a medical courier battling mutant creatures to deliver a package to a remote hospital.

Resident Evil displaced last week’s top performer, Warner Bros’ Practical Magic 2, a long-awaited sequel starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, into a distant second place.

The story of the modern-day witches, who face a curse that sees any man they fall in love with doomed to an early death, took (US$12.2 million; RM49.8 million) after last weekend knocking Sony’s Spider-Man from its weeks-long perch at the top.

Spidey took another (US$6.5 million; RM26.6 million) this weekend, bringing its total take in the United States and Canada to (US$944.5 million; RM3.858 billion). It was followed by another of 2026’s strongest performers, The Odyssey, which took (US$4.9 million; RM20 million).

For the second consecutive weekend, Coyote vs Acme took fifth place, with Will Forte and an animated Wile E. Coyote snaring another (US$4.5 million; RM18.4 million) for Falling Forward Films. — AFP

Rounding out the top 10 were:

• The Runner (US$3.2 million; RM13.1 million)
• Daniel and the Fiery Furnace (US$3.1 million; RM12.7 million)
• Transformers: The Movie (US$3.1 million; RM12.7 million)
• The Weight (US$2.3 million; RM9.4 million)