LOS ANGELES - "The Predator" - the latest installment in the long-running sci-fi action series - chewed up its rivals to debut atop the North American box office this weekend, industry data showed Monday.

But the Fox reboot, which cost $88 million to make, will look to earn back some money in international markets, as its estimated $24 million haul did not meet expectations.

Dropping to second place was last week's top draw, horror movie "The Nun" - the latest fright fest in the popular "Conjuring" series. It earned an estimated $18.2 million in its second week, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.

"Nun" stars Taissa Farmiga - whose sister Vera headlined two "Conjuring" films - in a story about a young nun, an exorcist and a guide stumbling onto a dark secret deep in Dracula country: the Romania of 1952 - Transylvania, no less.

Opening in the third spot was "A Simple Favor," a tale about a mommy blogger (Anna Kendrick) investigating the disappearance of her friend (Blake Lively). The Lionsgate film raked in $16.1 million on the back of positive reviews.

Matthew McConaughey's new film "White Boy Rick" opened in fourth place with $8.8 million. The movie, based on a true story, stars the Oscar winner as the father of a teenage boy who became an informant for the FBI in the 1980s.

Glitzy rom-com "Crazy Rich Asians," another Warner Bros product along with "The Nun," fell to fifth place. The film, with a nearly all-Asian cast led by Henry Golding and Constance Wu, took in $8.7 million, building on a crazy-good run. - AFP