“Spongebob Squarepants: Sponge Out Of Water” sopped up the loot at the continent’s box offices this weekend, and opened with $56 million in estimated sales.
But “American Sniper” continued to do strong business, and took second place with an estimated $24.2 million in sales. Over seven weeks, it has grossed $282.3 million in the United States and Canada, according to studio estimated totaled by Rentrak.
“Jupiter Ascending” premiered in third place, with an estimated $19 million on sales. Another debut, “Seventh Son,” had a $7.1 million weekend and was fourth.
Rounding out the 10 most-popular movies in North America, as estimated by the studios and gathered by Rentrak, were “Paddington” ($5.4 million), “Project Almanac” ($5.3 million), “The Imitation Game” ($4.9 million), “The Wedding Ringer” ($4.8 million), “Black Or White” ($4.5 million) and “The Boy Next Door” ($4.1 million).