LeBron's 'Space Jam' rockets to the top of N. American box office

New Warner Bros. release Space Jam: A New Legacy rocketed to the top of the North American box office over the weekend, taking in an estimated $31.6 million in the best showing of a family film since Covid first hammered the industry.

The live action/animated movie -- a sequel nearly 25 years after the original Space Jam with Michael Jordan -- has NBA superstar LeBron James teaming up with Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters in a high-stakes basketball game against a rogue artificial-intelligence entity threatening his son.

The film's surprise showing, despite middling-to-terrible reviews -- the New York Post called it an "abomination" -- propelled it past last weekend's leader, Disney superhero film Black Widow.

That Marvel Studios production, starring Scarlett Johansson, took in $25.6 million in the Friday-through-Sunday period, down sharply from its $80.4 million opening, according to industry watcher Exhibitor Relations.

In third place was Sony's psychological thriller Escape Room: Tournament of Champions, at $8.8 million. Taylor Russell and Logan Miller, reprising their roles in 2019's Escape Room, face a series of deadly traps and puzzles set by the evil Minos.

Fourth place went to Universal's F9: The Fast Saga, at $7.6 million, bringing the four-week domestic total of the Vin Diesel/John Cena action thriller to $154 million.

And in fifth was Universal's animated "Boss Baby: Family Business," at $4.7 million.

Meantime, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain -- the Focus Features/CNN Films movie about the world-traveling chef -- had the best opening of a documentary this year, at $1.9 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

The Forever Purge ($4.2 million)

A Quiet Place: Part II ($2.3 million)

Roadrunner ($1.9 million)

Cruella ($1.1 million)

Pig ($945,000)