Sharjah24 – AFP: In a reflection of Hollywood's deep late-summer slump, "Top Gun: Maverick," first released 15 weeks ago, climbed back to the top of the North American box office this weekend despite a relatively slim four-day take of $7.9 million.

The Paramount action thriller, starring a graying but still flight-ready Tom Cruise, has now soared to a domestic total of $701 million and $740 million internationally, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Monday.

That gravity-defying success came amid a generally abysmal patch for Hollywood films, with few major new releases. A lone bright spot was the record 8.1 million US moviegoers who took advantage of $3 tickets on Saturday's National Cinema Day.

Second place on the long Labor Day weekend -- celebrated in both the United States and Canada -- went to last weekend's No. 2: Sony's action thriller "Bullet Train," at $7.3 million. Brad Pitt stars.

Seeking to fill the late-summer vacuum, Sony re-released superhero film "Spider-Man: No Way Home," hoping that 11 minutes of added footage would draw viewers. Nine months after its original release, the Tom Holland vehicle placed a surprising third, earning $6.6 million.

In fourth place, up two spots from last weekend, was Warner Bros.' family-friendly animation "DC League of Super-Pets," at $6.4 million.

And in fifth, slipping from last weekend's No. 1 spot, was Sony's horror flick "The Invitation," at $6 million.

Hollywood's problems stem partly from Covid-related scheduling chaos, said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

Rounding out the weekend's top 10 were:

"Beast" ($4.7 million)

"Minions: The Rise of Gru" ($4.2 million)

"Jaws" (re-release): ($3.1 million)

"Thor: Love and Thunder" ($3.1 million)

"Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" ($2.8 million)