Will Smith (left) and Martin Lawrence attend the Hollywood premiere of Bad Boys For Life on January 14, 2020. AFP/VNA Photo

LOS ANGELES — Sony's Bad Boys for Life held on to its lead in the North American box office this weekend, again edging out Universal's 1917 and Dolittle, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported on Sunday.

The weekend cinema was overshadowed by Sunday's blockbuster TV event, the National Football League's Super Bowl, when theaters are often near-empty.

Overall weekend ticket sales of roughly US$85 million were the lowest in years, another industry tracker, Comscore, reported.

Still, action comedy Bad Boys, with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reprising their roles as wise-cracking detectives, took in an estimated $17.7 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period.

1917, a war film which lacks big stars but has steadily racked up awards, placed second at $9.7 million. The Sam Mendes film, shot as if it were one continuous take, is an Oscar favorite.

Dolittle, based on the children's book about a veterinarian who can talk to the animals, has drawn tepid reviews but, with an all-star cast headed by Robert Downey Jr and Emma Thompson, placed third at $7.7 million.

In fourth was new horror film Gretel and Hansel from United Artists. The dark reimagining of the Brothers Grimm tale earned an estimated $6.1 million -- not bad for a film produced with a relatively tiny budget of $5 million, according to Variety.

Fifth spot went to STX's action comedy The Gentlemen, at $6 million. The Guy Ritchie film, starring Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Grant, Henry Golding and Colin Farrell, tells the tale of an American in London who runs into trouble when he tries to sell off his lucrative cannabis empire. — AFP