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Leading the crop of newcomers, Lionsgate, eOne and CBS Films' "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" debuted in second place with 20.8 million dollars, within analyst projections of 20 to 22 million dollars.
Adapted from Alvin Schwartz's best-selling children's horror book series, the film was produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by Andre Ovredal. The PG-13 movie earned a mixed reception with a C CinemaScore from audiences and an 80 per cent "fresh" rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite "Scary Stories" scoring the second biggest-opening ever for CBS Films, the studio is shutting down this year.
At No. 3, Disney's "The Lion King" added 20 million dollars in its fourth weekend for a cumulative 473.1 million dollars. Globally, the film stands at 1.33 billion dollars.
In fourth place, Paramount's "Dora and the Lost City of Gold" opened with 17 million dollars, as analysts projected.
An adaptation of the popular Nickelodeon cartoon, the film was well-received with an A CinemaScore and 81 per cent "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by James Bobin, "Dora" stars Isabela Moner in the titular role alongside Eva Longoria, Michael Pena and Eugenio Derbez.
The "Dora" result continues Paramount's run of solid but unspectacular performances this summer following "Rocketman" and "Crawl."
Rounding out the top five, Sony's "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood" added 11.6 million dollars in its third weekend for a cumulative 100.3 million dollars, the only original film of the summer to cross the 100-million-dollar milestone.
At No. 6, Fox and Disney opened the dramedy "The Art of Racing in the Rain" with 8.1 million dollars, in range of analyst projections of 8 million to 9 million dollars.
An adaptation of Garth Stein's novel about a race car driver and his golden retriever, the film stars Milo Ventimiglia as the driver and features the voice of Kevin Costner as his pet. It earned an A minus CinemaScore but a 48 per cent "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film is the latest disappointment for Fox, which hasn't had a true hit since last year's "Bohemian Rhapsody." Following the studio's merger with Disney in March, every release has flopped including "Dark Phoenix" and "Stuber."
In seventh place, Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema's mob drama "The Kitchen" opened with a dismal 5.5 million dollars, in range of analyst projections of 5 million to 6 million dollars.
Directed by Andrea Berloff in her directorial debut, the period drama stars Melissa McCarthy, Elisabeth Moss and Tiffany Haddish as residents of Hell's Kitchen who are thrust into new leadership roles after their mobster husbands are carted off to jail.
The result is a career low at the box office for both McCarthy and Haddish. The film fared poorly with audiences, notching a B minus CinemaScore and was universally panned by critics with a 21 per cent "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
"The Kitchen" is the latest Warner Bros. film to flop in a summer that's seen just one success (in "Pokemon Detective Pikachu"), two disappointments ("Godzilla: King of the Monsters" and "Annabelle Comes Home") and two other outright flops ("The Sun Is Also A Star" and "Shaft").
At No. 8, Sony's "Spider-Man: Far From Home" added 5.3 million dollars in its sixth weekend for a cumulative 371 million dollars.
In ninth place, Disney's "Toy Story 4" added 4.4 million dollars in its eighth weekend for a cumulative 419.6 million dollars.
Rounding out the top 10, Trafalgar Releasing opened the BTS documentary "Bring the Soul: The Movie" in 873 locations Wednesday, grossing 2.3 million dollars over the weekend for a cumulative 4.4 million dollars in five days.
Also new this week, Bleecker Street opened the indie drama "Brian Banks" with 2.1 million dollars, in range of analyst projections of 2 million dollars.
Directed by Tom Shadyac, the film stars Aldis Hodge and tells the true story of a football player who is falsely accused of rape and imprisoned. It earned a 54 per cent "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is the latest misfire for Bleecker Street following "The Tomorrow Man" and "The Art of Self Defense" earlier this summer and "Teen Spirit" earlier this year.
In limited release, Roadside Attractions and Armory Films opened the Shia LaBeouf comedy "The Peanut Butter Falcon" in 17 locations to 205,236 dollars for a per-screen average of 12,108 dollars. It earned a 96 per cent "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sony Pictures Classics opened "After the Wedding" in five locations to 57,124 dollars for a per-screen average of 11,425 dollars. It earned a 94% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Oscilloscope Labs' Jay Maisel documentary "Jay Myself" added $11,450 in its second weekend, remaining in one location. It has earned a cumulative 49,435 dollars.
1091's "Them That Follow" expanded into 195 locations from three last weekend, adding 87,750 dollars for a per-screen average of 5,000 dollars and a cumulative 103,970 dollars.
Music Box Films' "Piranhas" added 6,053 dollars in its second weekend across 10 locations for a per-screen average of 605 and a cumulative 10,940 dollars.
This week, Warner Bros. releases the comedy drama "Blinded by the Light," Universal opens the comedy "Good Boys," United Artists Releasing reveals the comedy drama "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" and Entertainment Studios debuts the thriller "47 Meters Down: Uncaged."
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