AceShowbiz - Animated movie "Onward" has maintained the top spot at the North American box office as the coronavirus pandemic causes overall revenue to fall to a 20-year low.

The Pixar release, featuring the voices of Chris Pratt and Tom Holland, earned just $10.5 million (£8.6 million) in its second weekend in theatres, enough to hold on to number one.

Faith-based film "I Still Believe" debuted in second place with $9.5 million (£7.7 million), ahead of Vin Diesel's action blockbuster "Bloodshot", which opened with $9.3 million (£7.6 million).

The weekend box office receipts totalled an estimated $55.3 million (£45 million) for theatres in the U.S. and Canada, the lowest figures since September, 2000, when ticket sales amounted to $54.5 million (£44.4 million), according to data experts at Comscore.

The downturn in theatre profits comes amid growing concerns about the coronavirus outbreak, with authorities across the U.S. enforcing limitations on capacity in public spaces in an effort to curb the spread of the COVID-19 disease.

The virus had killed at least 62 people in the U.S. by Sunday, with more than 3,130 cases of infection confirmed.

Top Ten Movies at Weekend Box Office for Mar. 13-15:

1. "Onward" - $10.5 million
2. "I Still Believe" - $9.5 million
3. "Bloodshot" - $9.3 million
4. "The Invisible Man" - $6 million
5. "The Hunt" - $5.3 million
6. "Sonic the Hedgehog" - $2.5 million
7. "The Way Back" - $2.4 million
8. "The Call of the Wild" - $2.2 million
9. "Emma." - $1.3 million
10. "Bad Boys for Life" - $1.1 million