- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
Vampire flick 'Morbius' tops N.American box office
The vampire movie "Morbius" topped the North American box office this weekend, albeit with an opening take seen as lackluster for a comic book superhero flick at $39.1 million, Exhibitor Relations said Sunday.
The Columbia Pictures film, distributed by Sony and starring Jared Leto as an anti-hero, is adapted from Marvel comics. The character Morbius was originally introduced as a Spider-Man villain.
In this story Michael Morbius is a Nobel prize-winning doctor who by accident turns himself into a blood sucker while working to cure a blood disease.
"This is a weak opening by Marvel's exceptional standard for launching a new superhero series," said Franchise Entertainment Research.
The Venom character also started within the Spider-Man story, and by comparison "Venom 1" opened with an $80 million box office take in October 2018, it said.
"Critics are saying the Jared Leto vampire film sucks," said the news outlet TheStreet.
Last weekend's leader, Paramount's new action romance "The Lost City" took in $14.8 million for the Friday through Sunday period as it dropped to second place.
In it Sandra Bullock plays a romance novelist kidnapped by a twisted tycoon (Daniel Radcliffe of "Harry Potter" fame) who wants her to help him find a buried artifact on a remote island.
Channing Tatum, as a male book-cover model whose abs are sharper than his mind, does his best to help her escape -- even as a volcano erupts.
In its fifth weekend in theaters the Warner Bros' dark superhero movie "The Batman" scored a take of $10.8 million as it took third place. Robert Pattinson plays the title role.
Remaining in fourth place for the second straight week was Sony's "Uncharted," at $3.6 million. Tom Holland plays an Indiana Jones-style treasure hunter.
And in fifth, at $2 million, was "Jujutsu Kaisen 0" from Crunchroll/Funimation, a dark animation about a student-turned-sorcerer who battles a cursed spirit.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
"RRR" ($1.6 million)
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" ($1.4 million)
"Dog" ($1.3 million)
"X" ($1.02 million)
"Everything Everywhere All at Once" ($1.01 million)
P.Costa--AMWN