AceShowbiz - "Venom: The Last Dance", the final chapter in the "Venom" trilogy starring Tom Hardy, has once again clinched the top spot at the North American box office. Despite a relatively quiet weekend for theaters, the film continues to attract sizable audiences, leading to a strong second weekend. 

For the second weekend in a row, "Venom: The Last Dance" ruled the box office, bringing in an impressive $26.1 million. This elevates its domestic earnings to over $90 million and its global total to $317.1 million. Directed by Kelly Marcel, this Marvel and Columbia Pictures collaboration showcases Tom Hardy's portrayal of one of Marvel's most complex characters, securing the film's place as a box-office hit.

Close on Venom's heels, Universal Pictures and Illumination's animated feature "The Wild Robot" climbed to second place this weekend, earning $7.6 million. This is a surprising 11% increase from last weekend, boosting its North American total to $121.5 million and its worldwide gross to $269.1 million. According to Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore, " 'The Wild Robot' has quietly been this absolute juggernaut for the fall season."

In third place, Paramount Pictures' horror sequel "Smile 2" earned $6.8 million, bringing its domestic total to $52.68 million and worldwide to $109.7 million. The film's position demonstrates a consistent audience interest in the horror genre.

"Here", the latest film from Sony's TriStar, featuring a star-studded reunion of Tom Hanks, Robin Wright Penn and Robert Zemeckis, opened to a disappointing $5 million. Despite playing in nearly 1,000 more theaters, it's been met with poor critical reception, holding a 36% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics argue that the adaptation of the graphic novel did not resonate as expected.

Rounding out the top five, Focus Features' thriller "Conclave" garnered $5.3 million in its second weekend, maintaining a modest audience despite the overall drop in cinema attendance compared to last year. With a cumulative total of $15.2 million, "Conclave" underscores the varying interests among moviegoers.

Additional points of interest include "Terrifier 3", which added $3.2 million to its four-week total of $50.5 million, and the debut of two Indian films, "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3" and "Singham Again", both making the top ten. Meanwhile, independent film "A Real Pain" by Jesse Eisenberg achieved significant per-screen averages in its limited release, indicating strong potential for its nationwide expansion.

The holiday season is expected to breathe new life into the box office with highly anticipated releases such as "Gladiator II" and "Wicked". Industry analysts are hopeful for a year-end boost that will bridge the current 12% gap compared to last year’s box-office performance.

Final weekend numbers will be released on Monday, offering a clearer picture of the box-office standings as the film industry gears up for an action-packed holiday season.

Top 10 of North American Box Office (Nov. 01-03, 2024):

1. "Venom: The Last Dance" - $26.1 million
2. "The Wild Robot" - $7.6 million
3. "Smile 2" - $6.8 million
4. "Conclave" - $5.3 million
5. "Here" - $5 million
6. "We Live in Time" - $3.5 million
7. "Terrifier 3" - $3.2 million
8. "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3" - $2.23 million
9. "Singham Again" - $2.2 million
10. "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" - $2.1 million