THE REEL: 'House with a Clock' chimes in atop North America box office

A horror comedy about a clock counting down to doomsday chimed in at the top of the North American box office this weekend, industry estimates showed on Sunday.

Universal's family film The House with a Clock in Its Walls clocked up Sh2.7 billion over its debut three-day weekend, the industry tracker Exhibitor Relations said.

Jack Black and Cate Blanchett star alongside young Owen Vaccaro as Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan sent to live with his warlock uncle.

In its second week, A Simple Favor jumped a notch to second place. Lionsgate's tale about a mommy blogger (Anna Kendrick) investigating the disappearance of her friend (Blake Lively) earned Sh1.4 billion.

Just a shade below with Sh1 billion, Warner Bros. The Nun dropped to third place.

The latest fright fest in the popular Conjuring series stars Taissa Farmiga -- whose sister Vera headlined two Conjuring films -- in a story about a young nun, an exorcist and a guide stumbling onto a dark secret deep in Dracula country in the 1950s.

After slaying the box office at number one, sci-fi action movie The Predator fell to fourth place with earnings of Sh800 million.

A Fox reboot of the franchise's original production that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, the film's Sh2.4 billion opening weekend haul did not meet expectations.

Glitzy rom-com Crazy Rich Asians, another Warner Bros. product, held on to fifth place with Sh600 million.

The film, with a nearly all-Asian cast led by Henry Golding and Constance Wu, has a rich North American take of Sh15.9 billion in its six-week run.

Rounding out this weekend's top 10 were:

White Boy Rick (Sh500 million)

Peppermint (Sh370 million)

Fahrenheit 11/9 (Sh300 million)

The Meg (Sh240 million)

Searching (Sh220 million)