- Supermaxi yachts eye record in gruelling Sydney-Hobart race
- Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts, spewing columns of lava
- El Salvador Congress votes to end ban on metal mining
- Five things to know about Panama Canal, in Trump's sights
- NBA fines Minnesota guard Edwards $75,000 for outburst
- Haitians massacred for practicing voodoo were abducted, hacked to death: UN
- Inter beat Como to keep in touch with leaders Atalanta
- Mixed day for global stocks as market hopes for 'Santa Claus rally'
- Man Utd boss Amorim questions 'choices' of Rashford's entourage
- Trump's TikTok love raises stakes in battle over app's fate
- Is he serious? Trump stirs unease with Panama, Greenland ploys
- England captain Stokes to miss three months with torn hamstring
- Support grows for Blake Lively over smear campaign claim
- Canada records 50,000 opioid overdose deaths since 2016
- Jordanian, Qatari envoys hold talks with Syria's new leader
- France's second woman premier makes surprise frontline return
- France's Macron announces fourth government of the year
- Netanyahu tells Israel parliament 'some progress' on Gaza hostage deal
- Guatemalan authorities recover minors taken by sect members
- Germany's far-right AfD holds march after Christmas market attack
- European, US markets wobble awaiting Santa rally
- Serie A basement club Monza fire coach Nesta
- Mozambique top court confirms ruling party disputed win
- Biden commutes almost all federal death sentences
- Syrian medics say were coerced into false chemical attack testimony
- NASA solar probe to make its closest ever pass of Sun
- France's new government to be announced Monday evening: Elysee
- London toy 'shop' window where nothing is for sale
- Volkswagen boss hails cost-cutting deal but shares fall
- Accused killer of US insurance CEO pleads not guilty to 'terrorist' murder
- Global stock markets mostly higher
- Not for sale. Greenland shrugs off Trump's new push
- Sweden says China blocked prosecutors' probe of ship linked to cut cables
- Acid complicates search after deadly Brazil bridge collapse
- Norwegian Haugan dazzles in men's World Cup slalom win
- Arsenal's Saka out for 'many weeks' with hamstring injury
- Mali singer Traore child custody case postponed
- France mourns Mayotte victims amid uncertainy over government
- UK economy stagnant in third quarter in fresh setback
- Sweden says China denied request for prosecutors to probe ship linked to cut undersea cables
- African players in Europe: Salah leads Golden Boot race after brace
- Global stock markets edge higher as US inflation eases rate fears
- German far-right AfD to march in city hit by Christmas market attack
- Ireland centre Henshaw signs IRFU contract extension
- Bangladesh launches $5bn graft probe into Hasina's family
- US probes China chip industry on 'anticompetitive' concerns
- Biden commutes sentences for 37 of 40 federal death row inmates
- Clock ticks down on France government nomination
- 'Devastated' Australian tennis star Purcell provisionally suspended for doping
- Mozambique on edge as judges rule on disputed election
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