'Joker' tops N. American box office for second week

Warner Bros.’ Joker laughed all the way to the box office again this weekend as it took $55.9 million in North American movie theatres, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Monday.

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Joker provides the backstory for the rise of Batman’s maniacal nemesis, painting a dark and disturbing portrayal of a would-be stand-up comedian’s descent into madness.

Last week, the film directed by Todd Phillips — maker of The Hangover trilogy — set a record for an October release, taking in $93.5 million in its first weekend.

This weekend, United Artists’ family- and Halloween-friendly The Addams Family placed second, scaring up $30.3 million for its opening run.

It follows the mysterious and spooky clan as they prepare for a visit from some even creepier relatives.

In third, at $20.6 million, was Paramount’s new film Gemini Man, which stars Will Smith as a retired hitman who must face off against a younger clone of himself.

Abominable from Universal came in fourth, down from last week’s second, at $6.1 million.

The animated adventure tells the story of a teen and her friends trying to help a young Yeti reunite with its family as a wealthy man seeks to capture it as a prize.

And in fifth was Focus Features’ Downton Abbey, at $4.9 million. The cinematic follow-up to the hit TV series has the aristocratic Crawleys and their earnest staff scrambling to prepare for an unexpected visit by the British royals.

Rounding out the weekend’s top 10 were:

Hustlers ($3.9 million)

Judy ($3.2 million)

IT: Chapter Two ($3.1 million)

Jexi ($3.1 million)

Ad Astra ($1.9 million)