- New Zealand crush Ineos Britannia in America's Cup opener
- Djokovic to face Sinner in blockbuster Shanghai Masters final
- With medical report Harris seeks to play health card against Trump
- Sri Lanka seeks to match success in W.Indies T20s
- Sinner reaches Shanghai final, will end year number one
- China-EU EV tariff talks in Brussels end with 'major differences': Beijing
- Sabalenka downs Gauff in three sets to reach Wuhan final
- Israel warns south Lebanon residents to 'not return'
- Sinner tames Machac to reach Shanghai Masters final
- Buried Nazi past haunts Athens on liberation anniversary
- Harris to release medical report confirming fitness for presidency: campaign
- Nobel prize a timely reminder, Hiroshima locals say
- Hezbollah fires at Israel as wars rage on Yom Kippur
- Analysts warn more detail needed on new China economic measures
- China tees up fresh spending to boost ailing economy
- China says will issue special bonds to boost ailing economy
- China offers $325 bn in fiscal stimulus for ailing economy
- Dodgers drop Padres 2-0 to advance in MLB playoffs
- Alexei Navalny wrote he knew he would die in prison in new memoir
- Last-minute legal ruling allows betting on US election
- Despite hurricanes, Floridians refuse to leave 'paradise'
- Israel observes Yom Kippur amid firestorm over Lebanon strikes
- Trump demonizes migrants in dark, misleading speech
- X says 'alert' to manipulation efforts after pro-Russia bots report
- US, European markets rise before Boeing unveils sweeping job cuts
- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Comoros shock Tunisia, Salah, Mbeumo strike in AFCON qualifiers
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Germany win in Nations League as 10-man Dutch rescue point
- Undav brace sends Germany to victory against Bosnia
- Israel says fired at 'threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- Ecuador's last mountain iceman dies at 80
- Milton leaves at least 16 dead, millions without power in Florida
- Senegal set to announce breakaway development agenda: PM
- UN says 2 peacekeepers wounded in south Lebanon explosions
- Injury-hit Australia thrash 'embarrassing' Pakistan at Women's T20 World Cup
- Internal TikTok documents show prioritization of traffic over well-being
- Israel says fired at 'immediate threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- New US coach Pochettino hails Pulisic but worries over workload
- Brazil orders closure of 2,000 betting sites
- UK govt urged to raise pro-democracy tycoon's case with China
- Sculptor Lalanne's animal creations sell for $59 mn
- From Tesla to Trump: Behind Musk's giant leap into politics
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- Supercharged hurricanes trigger 'perfect storm' for disinformation
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Djokovic proves staying power as he progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Sheffield Utd boss Wilder 'numb' after Baldock death
'Civil War' leads the charge at North American box office
"Civil War," the hard-hitting film that imagines a dystopian near-future in the United States, topped the North American box office in its first weekend, according to estimates from industry watcher Exhibitor Relations.
The feature by British director Alex Garland stars Kirsten Dunst as a journalist travelling through a broken country, in which a three-term president battles secessionist forces from California and Texas.
The movie -- which has highlighted fears about the divided state of the nation ahead of November's presidential election -- raked in $25.7 million in the US and Canada, Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.
That is more than twice the average for a dystopian thriller on its opening weekend, said analyst David A. Gross.
Such movies "are generally set in futuristic worlds that look very different from contemporary life, Gross wrote.
"Civil War is doing the opposite: It looks like right now. The film is bending the genre into something contemporary and relatable. The story is not directly partisan, but it's provoking partisan feelings," he added.
"It's a fine balance to strike. Audiences are emotionally engaged, and that's impressive for a thriller."
The film knocked "Godzilla x Kong" into second place.
That feature, which sees the enormous gorilla and reptilian giant team up to save their species -- and ours -- took in an estimated $15.4 million.
Third place went to "Ghostbusters: The Ice Menace," with $5.8 million. In the latest installment of the popular franchise, the ghost hunters face the threat of a new ice age.
"Kung Fu Panda 4," Universal and DreamWorks Animation's martial arts comedy, climbed one spot back to fourth place with its $5.5 million.
As for "Dune: Part II", which took in $4.3 million, it still hasn't bogged down after seven weeks in theaters, and also climbed one place since the previous weekend.
Denis Villeneuve's science-fiction film has grossed $272 million since its release in early March.
Here's the rest of the top 10:
"Monkey Man" ($4.1 million)
"The First Omen" ($3.8 million)
"The Long Game" ($1.4 million)
"Shrek 2" (special 20th anniversary re-release) ($1.3 million)
"SUGA Agust D TOUR 'D-DAY' THE MOVIE" ($991,000)
L.Durand--AMWN