Newcomers dominated the box office this weekend as Lionsgate's comedy "Tyler Perry's Boo 2! A Madea Halloween" and Warner Bros.' sci-fi spectacle "Geostorm" debuted in the top two spots. Perry's sequel debuted in first place, raking in an estimated $21.6 million in the U.S. and Canada, according to figures from measurement firm ComScore. The PG-13 film, which reviewer Kimber Myers calls "the cinematic equivalent of getting Necco Wafers in your trick-or-treating bucket," follows the antics of Perry's popular character Madea who is tasked with protecting her grand-niece at a haunted campground. "Boo 2!" garnered mixed reviews from audiences and critics, earning an A- rating on CinemaScore and a dismal 8% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Warner Bros.' environmental disaster thriller "Geostorm" came in at No. 2, raining in $13.3 million in its first week.

It's been a great season for horror, with Blumhouse's "Happy Death Day" becoming the latest horror film to top the domestic box office in its opening weekend. The $5-million film, a bloody riff on the classic "Groundhog Day" concept, brought in an estimated $26.5 million in the U.S. and Canada, according to figures from measurement firm ComScore, above the $15 million to $20 million analysts projected. "We are absolutely thrilled with the opening," said Universal's Executive Vice President of Domestic Distribution Jim Orr. "Happy Death Day" marks Blumhouse's ninth film to open at No. 1 and its third to debut at No. 1 this year alone, following "Split" and "Get Out." The latest from producer Jason Blum and Universal Pictures, the film, about a woman who relives the day of her murder until she learns her killer's identity, earned a B rating on CinemaScore and a 64% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Warner Bros.' "Blade Runner 2049" topped the box office charts this weekend, but despite strong reviews and positive audience reaction, ticket sales were estimated at only $31.5 million in the U.S. and Canada, according to the measurement firm ComScore, significantly below analysts' projections. A sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi cult classic, "Blade Runner," about a futuristic society where androids known as "replicants" are almost indistinguishable from humans, "Blade Runner 2049" had been estimated to pull in $45 million to $50 million in its opening weekend. The film -- directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Ryan Gosling and Jared Leto, with Harrison Ford reprising his role as Deckard -- cost an estimated $150 million to produce after rebates and before marketing costs. The film earned an 89% "fresh" rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and Times critic Kenneth Turan wrote, "this film puts you firmly, brilliantly, unassailably in another world." The film received an A-minus grade from audiences surveyed by CinemaScore.

New Line Cinema's "It," now in its fourth week, returned to the top spot at the box office after temporarily being unseated by 20th Century Fox's spy sequel "Kingsman: The Golden Circle." Despite a 42% drop in earnings this week, the $35-million film, now the biggest September release ever (not adjusting for inflation), brought in $17.3 million for a cumulative total of $291.2 million in the U.S. and Canada and $553.1 million worldwide. The Stephen King adaptation, about a group of kids terrorized by an evil clown, was directed by Andy Muschietti and stars Bill Skarsgard ("Hemlock Grove") as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. "It" boasts a B rating on CinemaScore and an 85% "fresh" rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. Universal Pictures' crime thriller "American Made," starring Tom Cruise, debuted in second place, earning $17 million this weekend, above analysts' expectations of $12 million to $15 million.

Lionsgate's R-rated buddy romp "The Hitman's Bodyguard," as predicted, topped the domestic box office for the second weekend in a row as Hollywood's newest releases slumped into theaters, all three opening short of $6 million. Starring Samuel L. Jackson as an imprisoned assassin who needs the help of bodyguard Ryan Reynolds, "Hitman" (which cost $30 million to make) earned $10 million this week in the U.S. and Canada for a cumulative total of $39.6 million. The action comedy, which received mixed reviews -- earning a B rating on CinemaScore but a stale 39% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes -- made $21.6 million in its opening weekend and has dropped 53% since last week. Maintaining the No. 2 spot (despite a 53% drop since last weekend) was Warner Bros' horror prequel "Anabelle: Creation." The film brought in $7.6 million in its third week for a cumulative total of $77.9 million domestically.