(Bloomberg) -- “Moana” led the North American box office for a second straight weekend, aided by a dearth of competitive new releases.
Walt Disney Co.'s animated tale about a South Pacific island princess generated an estimated $28.3 million in its second weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters, ComScore Inc. said in an e-mailed statement Monday. “Moana,” which received critical acclaim, was expected to add $25 million this weekend, according to analysts at BoxOfficePro.com.
Returning films dominated a slow weekend as theaters await a new “Star Wars” picture from Disney on Dec. 16. This month will also see studios unwrap films they expect to vie for awards. 21st Century Fox Inc. opened “Jackie,” featuring Natalie Portman as Jacqueline Kennedy, in a handful of theaters. Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. releases the Oscar favorite “La La Land” on a few screens Dec. 9.
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” the prequel franchise to the “Harry Potter” series from Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. division, placed second with sales of $18.1 million, close to BoxOfficePro's estimate. The World War II feature “Allied,” with Brad Pitt, returned in fourth place with $7 million, compared with an estimate of $7.62 million. The picture is from Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures division.
“Incarnate,” a horror film about a single mom dealing with her possessed young son, opened in ninth place with sales of $2.5 million for High Top Releasing, part of Comcast Corp.'s Universal Pictures. Hollywood Stock Exchange had estimated $3.22 million. It was the only new movie in the top 10 this week.
To contact the reporter on this story: Anousha Sakoui in Los Angeles at asakoui@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Crayton Harrison at tharrison5@bloomberg.net, Bruce Rule, Molly Schuetz
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