'Get Out' scares off competition to top box office

LOS ANGELES: Jordan Peele’s socially conscious horror film “Get Out” scared off the competition to grab the top spot at North American box offices on its debut weekend, industry data showed Monday.

Peele’s feature directorial debut — the actor is half of the comedy duo “Kay and Peele” — follows a young African American (Daniel Kaluuya) who is so nervous about meeting the family of his white girlfriend (Allison Williams), he fails to realize the menace lurking at their mansion.

Generating critical acclaim on top of rave reviews from audiences, the Universal/Blumhouse film — which cost under $5 million to produce — raked in $33.4 million, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Last week’s top earner, CGI comedy “The Lego Batman Movie,” came in second with $19.2 million for a three-week total of $133.2 million.

Featuring the voice of Will Arnett as the caped crusader, the Warner Bros spinoff of the “The Lego Movie” follows Batman as he tries to save Gotham City from being taken over by the Joker, voiced by Zach Galifianakis.

Also in its third week, Lionsgate’s “John Wick: Chapter 2” came in third with $9.4 million in revenue for a three-week total of $74.8 million.

The thriller stars Keanu Reeves as a hitman forced out of retirement in order to repay a debt to a fellow hired killer with whom he has signed a blood oath.

“The Great Wall” took fourth place with $9.1 million following a disappointing debut last week.

Universal’s lavish action thriller starring Matt Damon — filmed with a $150 million budget and billed as the first English-language production shot entirely in China — follows European mercenaries who get caught up defending the Great Wall of China against a horde of monsters.

“Fifty Shades Darker,” Universal’s second installment of the steamy “Fifty Shades” franchise based on the novels of E.L. James, came in fifth with $7.8 million for a total of $103.7 million in three weeks.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

“Fist Fight” ($6.6 million)

“Hidden Figures” ($5.8 million)

“La La Land” ($4.7 million)

“Split” ($4.1 million)

“Lion” ($3.8 million)