'Joker' tops North American box office for second week, earns $ 55 million at the box office

Warner Bros.' 'Joker' laughed best again this weekend as it took in an estimated $55 million in North American movie theatres, an industry group reported Sunday. Read the film's review here. 

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, 'Joker' provides the backstory for the rise of Batman's maniacal nemesis, painting a dark and disturbing portrayal of a would-be stand-up comedian's descent into madness.

Last week, the film directed by Todd Phillips -- maker of 'The Hangover' trilogy -- set a record for an October release, taking in $93.5 million in its first weekend, Exhibitor Relations said.

United Artist's family- and Halloween-friendly 'The Addams Family' placed second, scaring up an estimated $30.3 million for its opening weekend.

It follows the mysterious and spooky Addams family as they prepare for a visit from some even creepier relatives.

In third, at an estimated $20.5 million, was Paramount's new film 'Gemini Man,' which stars Will Smith as a retired hitman who must face off against a younger clone of himself.

'Abominable' from Universal came in fourth, down from last week's second, at an estimated $6.2 million. It tells the story of a teen and her friends trying to help a young Yeti reunite with its family as a wealthy man seeks to capture it as a prize.

And in fifth was Focus Features' 'Downton Abbey,' at $5 million. The cinematic follow-up to the hit TV series has the Crawleys and their earnest staff scrambling to prepare for an unexpected visit by the British royals.

Rounding out the weekend's top 10 were:

'Hustlers' ($3.9 million)

'Judy' ($3.3 million)

'IT: Chapter Two' ($3.2 million)

'Jexi' ($3.1 million)

'Ad Astra' ($1.9 million)