‘The House With a Clock in Its Walls’ tops box office

Of the four new wide releases this past weekend, only Universal’s “The House With a Clock in Its Walls” managed to place among the top five at the box office.

Amblin Entertainment’s Pg-rated fantasy opened in first place in the United States and Canada with $26.6 million, besting analysts’ predictions of

$18 million to $25 million, according to figures from measurement firm Comscore.

Based on John Bellairs’ book about a boy who moves into a supernatural mansion owned by a mysterious uncle, the film cost an estimated $40 million to make. It earned positive reviews from audiences and critics with a B-plus Cinemascore rating and a 68 percent “fresh” on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.

The film marks the biggest opening ever for director Eli Roth, whose most notable film, “Hostel,” opened with $19 million in 2006.

In second place, Lionsgate’s “A Simple Favor” added $10.3 million in its second weekend for a cumulative $32.4 million.

Warner Bros.’ “The Nun” landed at No. 3 in its third weekend, adding $10 million to its cumulative $100.6 million in ticket sales.

At No. 4, Fox’s “The Predator” added $9.2 million in its second weekend for a cumulative $40.9 million.

Rounding out the top five, Warner Bros.’ “Crazy Rich Asians” added $6.4 million in its sixth weekend for a cumulative $159.3 million.

Among the wide releases that underperformed this weekend, all were distributed by studios who don’t typically release on that scale.

First-time distributor Briarcliff’s Michael Moore documentary “Fahrenheit 11/9” landed at No. 8 with $3 million across 1,700 theaters, below analysts’ predictions of $4 million.

Amazon Studios opened multigenerational love story “Life Itself ” with $2.1 million across 2,609 locations, the widest release ever for the studio.

Neon’s thriller “Assassination Nation” opened with $1.1 million in 1,403 theaters, the widest release for the 2-yearold studio on an opening weekend.