‘Ride Along’ pulls away from N. American box office rivals

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Ice Cube, left, and Kevin Hart in a scene from “Ride Along.” AP

LOS ANGELES – Cop comedy “Ride Along” remained on top of the North American box office this weekend, estimated figures showed Sunday.

The action film starring Kevin Hart and Ice Cube easily outpaced its rivals for a second week in a row, earning $21.2 million in the United States and Canada, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations reported.

In second place with $12.6 million was “Lone Survivor,” the Afghanistan war drama starring Mark Wahlberg based on the true story of a disastrous Navy SEAL commando raid targeting an extremist fighter.

Third spot was occupied by animated children’s movie “The Nut Job,” a tale about a squirrel forced to survive in the big city after being banished from his park. The film took $12.3 million over the three-day weekend.

In fourth spot was Disney’s smash hit “Frozen,” a loosely based retelling of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale.

The movie, a frontrunner for best animated feature film at the Oscars, added another $9 million to its North American haul of $347.8 million since its release.

In fifth with $8.8 million was “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” the action adventure prequel starring Chris Pine in the fifth film based on author Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan thrillers.

Sixth spot was occupied by debutant “I, Frankenstein,” based on a graphic novel reboot of Mary Shelley’s famous 19th century tale, starring Aaron Eckhart. The film opened with a disappointing $8.3 million.

Oscar-nominated con-man caper “American Hustle” continued to hold up well in the top 10, earning another $7.1 million.

The film – starring Christian Bale and Amy Adams as grifters who team up with an FBI agent played by Bradley Cooper – is up for 10 Oscars at the Academy Awards.

Another Oscar-nominated movie, “August: Osage County” was eighth with $5 million.

The film, which has earned Oscar nods for both Meryl Streep and co-star Julia Roberts, revolves around a family gathering and the dysfunctional matriarch (Streep) who unites them.

In ninth place with $5 million was Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street,” based on the rise and fall of disgraced financier Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Rounding out the top 10 was pregnancy horror movie “Devil’s Due,” which took $2.8 million in its second weekend.