LOS ANGELES, June 9 (Xinhua) - Universal and Illumination's "The Secret Life of Pets 2" nabbed first place at the North American box office with 47.1 million U.S. dollars this weekend.
However, "Pets 2" got only less than half of what its predecessor earned during its inaugural weekend in theaters in 2016.
Produced by Illumination and directed by Chris Renaud, the 3D computer animated comedy film continued the story of Max and his pet friends, following their secret lives after their owners leave them for work or school each day.
"Pets 2" beats "Dark Phoenix," the final entry in the "X-Men" series, which misfired with a disappointing 33 million dollars in stateside ticket sale on 3,721 screens, marking the worst debut in the franchise's 20-year history. The last X-Men movie, 2016's Apocalypse, opened to 65 million dollars.
"Dark Phoenix," the first X-Men movie released by Disney, opened in 53 international markets for a global box office haul of 107 million dollars. China led the foreign box office with 45.6 million dollars in ticket sales.
The film tells story of one of the X-Men's most beloved characters, Jean Grey, as she develops incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into a Dark Phoenix.
Disney's "Aladdin" landed in third place on box office charts with 24.5 million dollars, bringing its domestic grosses to 232.4 million dollars.
Box office holdover "Godzilla: King of Monsters" stood fourth with 15.5 million dollars. It has generated 78.6 million dollars in North America to date.
Rounding out the top five is Paramount's "Rocketman." The biopic on the life and times of Elton John drummed up another 14 million dollars over the weekend, bringing its stateside haul to 50.5 million dollars.
