‘Hobbs & Shaw’ too fast for slew of box office newcomers

Audiences helped the “Fast & Furious” spinoff “Hobbs & Shaw” take another lap at No. 1, holding off four new major releases this past weekend.

From family films to R-rated adult fare, moviegoers had their pick as studios tried to capitalize on the waning days of summer. Some, such as “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” fared better than others, such as the Melissa Mccarthy and Tiffany Haddish mob thriller “The Kitchen.”

“There are always going to be casualties when there are this many openers,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “They cannot always be lined up in the top four rankings.”

“Hobbs & Shaw” managed to retain first place. The Dwayne Johnson and

Jason Statham action flick fell 58 percent from its first weekend but added $25.3 million from North American theaters. It has grossed $108.4 million domestically and $331.8 million worldwide.

Second place went to the PG-13 horror movie “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” from CBS Films and eone Entertainment, which cut through the clutter with $20.9 million.

Good reviews helped raise its profile, although audiences were underwhelmed, slapping it with a C Cinemascore.

Dergarabedian noted that, even with a PG-13 rating, horror movies again prove to be “a consistent draw.”

Close behind in third was “The Lion King” with $20.2 million in its fifth weekend in theaters. With $1.3 billion globally, it’s now surpassed “Beauty and the Beast” as Disney’s highest-grossing “live-action” release.

Newcomer “Dora and the Lost City of Gold,” from Paramount Pictures, also found a healthy audience, earning $17.4 million for a fourth-place start. Starring Isabela Moner and based on the popular animated TV series, “Dora” got good reviews from critics and audiences, who gave it an A Cinemascore.

In fifth place, Quentin Tarantino’s star vehicle “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” added

$11.7 million.