'Kingsman: The Golden Circle' dethrones 'It' with $39M debut

NEW YORK -- The R-rated spy comedy "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" displaced horror sensation "It" as the No. 1 film in North America, while the second "Lego Movie" spinoff of the year didn't assemble the expected audience.

The 20th Century Fox release opened with a weekend-leading $39 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday. But "It" continues to pull in record crowds. With $30 million over the weekend, "It" is the highest-grossing horror film of all time, not accounting for inflation, with $266.3 million so far. ("The Exorcist" grossed $232.9 million in 1973, or more than $1 billion in 2017 dollars.)

Twentieth Century Fox's "Kingsman" sequel sought to expand on the 2015 original's $36.2 million opening and its $414 million worldwide take. Matthew Vaughn's sequel returned stars Taron Egerton and Colin Firth while adding Channing Tatum, Halle Berry and others. Made more for audiences than critics, reviews for the gleefully distasteful spy romp were poor, at 51 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

The "Lego Movie" spinoff "The Lego Ninjago Movie" was off expectations, debuting with $21.2 million. Phil Lord and Chris Miller's "The Lego Movie" -- the 2014 hit that made $469 million worldwide -- kicked off a bustling franchise. "Ninjago," though, is the second spinoff of the calendar year, after February's "The Lego Batman Movie."

The week also saw the first wave of fall awards contenders in specialty release. The Billie Jean King-Bobby Riggs drama "Battle of the Sexes," with Emma Stone and Steve Carell; the Boston Marathon bombing survivor tale "Stronger," with Jake Gyllenhaal; and the Queen Victoria drama "Victoria & Abdul," with Judi Dench, debuted in limited release.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters according to comScore.

1. "Kingsman: The Golden Circle," $39 million ($61 million international).

2. "It," $30 million ($38.3 million international).

3. "The Lego Ninjago Movie," $21.2 million ($10.5 million international).

4. "American Assassin," $6.3 million ($2.7 million international).

5. "Home Again," $3.3 million.

6. "mother!" $3.3 million ($4.6 million international).

7. "Friend Request," $2.4 million.

8. "The Hitman's Bodyguard," $1.9 million ($15.4 million international).

9. "Stronger," $1.7 million.

10. "Wind River," $1.3 million.