Doctor Strange Conjures $85M Magic

A strong batch of new films drew audiences to the theaters in large numbers this weekend, reports the AP, including Marvel's Doctor Strange, the animated Trolls and Mel Gibson's WWII drama Hacksaw Ridge, effectively waking up the sleepy fall box office. As the superhero in the bunch, Doctor Strange easily dominated with $85 million in North America theaters according to studio estimates Sunday; that eats up a good chunk of the $165 million it cost to make, USA Today reports. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the neurosurgeon turned sorcerer, Doctor Strange opened internationally last weekend.

Trolls, an animated musical featuring the voices of Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake, took second place with $45.6 million. And in third place, Hacksaw Ridge, about the true story of Desmond Doss's heroics during the battle of Okinawa, earned $14.8 million. The independently financed film cost a reported $40 million to make. Holdovers from last week, Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween and Tom Hanks' Inferno, held down fourth and fifth places with $7.8 million and $6.3 million respectively, notes USA Today. (More box office stories.)