'Joker' tops American box office

Warner Bros.' 'Joker' laughed best again this weekend as it took in an estimated $55 million in North American movie theatres, an industry group reported Sunday.

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, Exhibitor Relations said.

United Artist's family- and Halloween-friendly 'The Addams Family' placed second, scaring up an estimated $30.3 million for its opening weekend.

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

In third, at an estimated $20.5 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 an estimated $6.2 million. It 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 $5 million. The cinematic follow-up to the hit TV series has the 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' ($3.3 million)

'IT: Chapter Two' ($3.2 million)

'Jexi' ($3.1 million)

'Ad Astra' ($1.9 million)