The reviews have been mixed, and it might not quite be the big autumnal hit that its studio backers were hoping for, but novel adaptation The Girl On The Train still managed to claim the top spot at the American box office this weekend, while other newcomers faltered.
Tate Taylor's film, which stars Emily Blunt as an alcoholic divorcee whose perceptions of a seemingly perfect couple she spots on her daily train journeys are shattered, took in $24.6 million, according to studio estimates. Worldwide, the movie launched to $41.1 million.
Last week's top spotter, Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, was unceremoniously shoved to second place, but only dropped 48% for $15 million. The movie has now made $51 million in the States. Deepwater Horizon also fell, earning $11.7 million in third.
Fourth place found The Magnificent Seven with $9.1 million, ahead of animated adventure Storks in fifth on $8.4 million.
To find the next of the week's launches, you need to sink to sixth place, where Nate Parker's The Birth Of A Nation, seemingly affected by personal bad press around its director, could only manage $7.1 million. New family comedy Middle School: The Worst Years Of My Life also arrived low in the charts, launching seventh on $6.9 million.
At eighth was Sully, still earning well after five weeks, adding $5.2 million. Masterminds fell to ninth on $4.1 million, and Queen Of Katwe dropped to 10th, adding $1.6 million for a $5.3 million US total to date.