'Wolverine' cuts loose with $53.1M at box office

LOS ANGELES — "The Wolverine" clawed his way to the top of the weekend box office.

The Fox film starring Hugh Jackman as the clawed mutant superhero debuted in first place with $53.1 million in ticket sales at North American theaters.

Last week's top movie, the Warner Bros. horror "The Conjuring," dropped to second place with $22.2 million, followed by two animated pictures.

Universal's "Despicable Me 2" hung onto third place, adding $16.4 million to its domestic take, which is now at $306.8 million. Fox's animated snail-racing adventure "Turbo" was in fourth with $13.7 million.

Adam Sandler's "Grown Ups 2" claimed the fifth spot, earning $11.6 million over the weekend.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com, are:

1. "The Wolverine," Fox, $53,113,752, 3,924 locations, $13,536 average, $53,113,752, one week.

2. "The Conjuring," Warner Bros., $22,208,389, 3,022 locations, $7,349 average, $83,945,017, two weeks.

3. "Despicable Me 2," Universal, $16,424,135, 3,476 locations, $4,725 average, $306,812,720, four weeks.

4. "Turbo," Fox, $13,740,247, 3,809 locations, $3,607 average, $56,183,245, two weeks.

5. "Grown Ups 2," Sony/Columbia, $11,600,811, 3,258 locations, $3,561 average, $101,764,582, three weeks.

6. "Red 2," Lionsgate/Summit Entertainment, $9,337,197, 3,016 locations, $3,096 average, $35,011,553, two weeks.

7. "Pacific Rim," Warner Bros., $7,703,461, 2,602 locations, $2,961 average, $84,189,565, three weeks.

8. "The Heat," Fox, $6,914,664, 2,384 locations, $2,900 average, $141,309,408, five weeks.

9. "R.I.P.D.," Universal, $6,070,525, 2,850 locations, $2,130 average, $24,565,505, two weeks.

10. "Fruitvale Station," Weinstein Co., $4,590,219, 1,064 locations, $4,314 average, $6,272,535, three weeks.

11. "The Way, Way Back," Fox Searchlight, $3,445,814, 886 locations, $3,889 average, $9,077,255, four weeks.

12. "Monsters University," Disney, $2,854,838, 1,470 locations, $1,942 average, $255,467,026, six weeks.

13. "World War Z," Paramount, $2,800,685, 1,440 locations, $1,945 average, $192,660,231, six weeks.

14. "The Lone Ranger," Disney, $1,684,417, 1,267 locations, $1,329 average, $85,321,430, four weeks.

15. "The To-Do List," CBS Films, $1,579,402, 591 locations, $2,672 average, $1,579,402, one week.

16. "White House Down," Sony/Columbia, $913,848, 676 locations, $1,352 average, $70,638,617, five weeks.

17. "Man of Steel," Warner Bros., $749,233, 501 locations, $1,495 average, $286,807,505, seven weeks.

18. "Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain," Summit Entertainment/Codeblack Entertainment, $728,502, 498 locations, $1,463 average, $31,481,432, four weeks.

19. "Blue Jasmine," Sony Pictures Classics, $612,064, 6 locations, $102,011 average, $612,064, one week.

20. "This Is the End," Sony/Columbia, $503,525, 270 locations, $1,865 average, $95,617,810, seven weeks.