‘Martian’ tops North American box office

MATT DAMON. Rare ability to vivify man’s courage, will to live and life-affirming creativity. AP

LOS ANGELES, United States — It’s lonely at the top: critically acclaimed blockbuster “The Martian,” about an astronaut stranded on Mars, led North American box office ticket sales for a fourth weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The movie, which stars Matt Damon as a NASA scientist accidentally left on the Red Planet, has generated serious Oscar buzz as well as an estimated $182.8 million in the five weeks since it came out.

The film earned $11.4 million in weekend ticket sales, pulling in just ahead of spooky children’s flick “Goosebumps” which earned $10.2 million, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

The family-friendly action-comedy based on a series of books by R.L. Stine had briefly dethroned “The Martian” from its top perch for one weekend.

Steven Spielberg’s well-received Cold War drama “Bridge of Spies” starring Tom Hanks held onto third place for a third week running with $8.1 million.

In a timely fourth for Halloween weekend, animated ghoul sequel “Hotel Transylvania 2” and its all-star cast of voices raked in $5.8 million.

Food flick “Burt,” the tale of a bad-boy chef (played by Bradley Cooper) who is trying to redeem his career following a series of poor life choices debuted in fifth with $5.0 million.

The following is a list of the rest of the top 10:

6. “The Last Witch Hunter” ($4.8 million)

7. “Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension” ($3.5 million)

8) “Our Brand is Crisis” ($3.4 million)

9) “Crimson Peak” ($3.1 million)

10) “Steve Jobs” ($2.6 million)