- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
'Civil War' leads the charge at North American box office
"Civil War," the hard-hitting film that imagines a dystopian near-future in the United States, topped the North American box office in its first weekend, according to estimates from industry watcher Exhibitor Relations.
The feature by British director Alex Garland stars Kirsten Dunst as a journalist travelling through a broken country, in which a three-term president battles secessionist forces from California and Texas.
The movie -- which has highlighted fears about the divided state of the nation ahead of November's presidential election -- raked in $25.7 million in the US and Canada, Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.
That is more than twice the average for a dystopian thriller on its opening weekend, said analyst David A. Gross.
Such movies "are generally set in futuristic worlds that look very different from contemporary life, Gross wrote.
"Civil War is doing the opposite: It looks like right now. The film is bending the genre into something contemporary and relatable. The story is not directly partisan, but it's provoking partisan feelings," he added.
"It's a fine balance to strike. Audiences are emotionally engaged, and that's impressive for a thriller."
The film knocked "Godzilla x Kong" into second place.
That feature, which sees the enormous gorilla and reptilian giant team up to save their species -- and ours -- took in an estimated $15.4 million.
Third place went to "Ghostbusters: The Ice Menace," with $5.8 million. In the latest installment of the popular franchise, the ghost hunters face the threat of a new ice age.
"Kung Fu Panda 4," Universal and DreamWorks Animation's martial arts comedy, climbed one spot back to fourth place with its $5.5 million.
As for "Dune: Part II", which took in $4.3 million, it still hasn't bogged down after seven weeks in theaters, and also climbed one place since the previous weekend.
Denis Villeneuve's science-fiction film has grossed $272 million since its release in early March.
Here's the rest of the top 10:
"Monkey Man" ($4.1 million)
"The First Omen" ($3.8 million)
"The Long Game" ($1.4 million)
"Shrek 2" (special 20th anniversary re-release) ($1.3 million)
"SUGA Agust D TOUR 'D-DAY' THE MOVIE" ($991,000)
G.Machado--PC