LOS ANGELES, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Universal and DreamWorks' animated film "The Croods: A New Age" repeated as the winner of a bleak North American box office, earning an estimated 1.7 million U.S. dollars at 1,913 locations between Friday and Sunday in its thirteenth weekend of release.

According to studio figures collected by measurement firm Comscore, the film is on track to take in 50 million dollars in North America through Sunday. It's the fifth time for the film to lead ticket sales at the North American box office. It had stayed atop the chart three weekends in a row in North America after making its debut last November and reclaimed the top spot surprisingly last weekend.

Helmed by Joel Crawford in his feature directorial debut, "The Croods: A New Age," with a reported budget of 65 million dollars, features the voice talent of returning stars, including Nicolas Cage, Catherine Keener, Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds.

The sequel to the 2013 original film follows the prehistoric Crood family who sets off into the world in search of a safer place to live and meets another family that's a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder.

"Universal's release strategy for 'The Croods: A New Age' proved that a solid family film could enjoy success on the big screen and simultaneously on home video with unique strategy, born out of a reaction to the pandemically challenged marketplace, paying long-term financial dividends while honoring the consumer's choice of how best to view the movie with their families," senior media analyst for Comscore Paul Dergarabedian told Xinhua.

Over the weekend, "The Croods: A New Age" scored an additional 423,000 dollars in 17 international markets, bringing its global tally to over 154 million dollars.

The Chinese mainland has fueled the bulk of the film's overseas box office with 353 million yuan (about 54.66 million U.S. dollars) after over two months of launch, according to the box office data compiled by Maoyan, a Chinese movie-ticketing and film data platform.

Warner Bros. Pictures' psychological thriller "The Little Things" came in second with 1.2 million dollars from 2,061 locations in its fourth weekend, pushing its North American cume to 11.75 million dollars.

Directed by John Lee Hancock from his own original screenplay, the film has a strong cast, including Academy Award winners Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto. The plot follows two U.S. police officers as they try to catch a serial killer that has residents of Los Angeles terrified.

In the third place, Warner Bros.' biographical drama film "Judas and the Black Messiah" brought in 905,000 dollars from 1,906 locations in its second weekend for a North American total of 3.35 million dollars.

Directed by Shaka King in his studio feature film directorial debut and starring Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield and Jesse Plemons, the film, inspired by true events, follows FBI informant William O'Neal who infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party in the late 1960s and is tasked with keeping tabs on their charismatic leader, Chairman Fred Hampton. Endiem

Warner Bros.' superheroine film "Wonder Woman 1984" landed in fourth place with 805,000 dollars from 1,644 locations in its Ninth weekend. The film has grossed 42.73 million dollars in North America for a global total of 159.5 million dollars.

The film is a sequel to "Wonder Woman," a massive critical and commercial hit in 2017, which grossed 822 million dollars at the global box office. With director Patty Jenkins back at the helm and Gal Gadot returning in the title role, "Wonder Woman 1984" with a reported cost of 200 million dollars follows Diana Prince as she battles two formidable foes during the Cold War.

Open Road's action thriller film "The Marksman" finished fifth with 775,000 dollars from 1,643 locations in its sixth weekend for a North American total of 11.45 million dollars.

Directed by Robert Lorenz and starring Liam Neeson, the film follows a hardened U.S. rancher living in an Arizona border town who helps an 11-year-old boy escape a Mexican drug cartel. Enditem

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