'Don't Breathe' tops box office again over Labor Day weekend

The horror thriller "Don't Breathe" topped the box office for the second straight week, while several new releases struggled to find traction over a typically sleepy Labor Day weekend at North American movie theaters.

The Sony Screen Gems release made an estimated $15.7 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. The R-rated "Don't Breathe," about an ill-considered home invasion of a blind man, is on pace to make $19.4 million over the four-day holiday weekend. Produced for just $10 million, the film has made $51.1 million in total.

Its success spelled doom for the other horror film trying to gain a foothold: "Morgan," a low-budget science-fiction thriller directed by Ridley Scott's son, Luke Scott. Opening on more than 2,000 screens, it bombed with just $2 million.

Also torpedoed was the Robert De Niro-Edgar Ramirez boxing drama "Hands of Stone," about Panamanian boxer Robert Duran. It made just $1.3 million while expanding to 2,011 theaters, marking the latest in a string of disappointments for the Weinstein Co.

The DreamWorks drama "The Light Between the Oceans," starring Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, debuted with a modest $5 million a day after it premiered at the Venice Film Festival. The period film, directed by Derek Cianfrance, stars the real-life couple as newlyweds living at a remote Australian lighthouse. Its budget was about $20 million.

The poor performing new releases enabled Warner Bros.' "Suicide Squad" to hold second place at the box office with $10 million. Despite rough reviews, the supervillain team-up film has shown decent legs in theaters, making nearly $300 million domestically.

Monday will mark the end of Hollywood's summer. According to comScore, the season will come in almost exactly tied with last year's $4.5 billion. Despite a rash of underperforming sequels and a number of high-profile disappointments , the overall box office is stable.

Heading into a fall that includes some seemingly surefire blockbusters such as "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," ''Doctor Strange" and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," the 2016 box office is running 5.7 percent ahead of last year.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Tuesday.

1. "Don't Breathe," $15.7 million.

2. "Suicide Squad," $10 million.

3. "Pete's Dragon," $6.5 million.

4. "Kubo and the Two Strings," $6.5 million.

5. "Sausage Party," $5.3 million.

6. "The Light Between Oceans," $5 million.

7. "Bad Moms," $4.7 million.

8. "War Dogs," $4.7 million.

9. "Hell or High Water," $4.5 million.

10. "Mechanic: Resurrection," $4.3 million.

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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP .