The latest iteration of the Godzilla franchise took over the top spot from 鈥淎laddin鈥� and roared louder than Elton John at the weekend box office, but it still left a notably smaller footprint on North American theatres than its city-wrecking predecessors.

鈥淕odzilla: King of the Monsters,鈥� Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment鈥檚 sequel to 2014鈥檚 鈥淕odzilla,鈥� was brought down to size by poor reviews and middling interest from moviegoers, selling $49 million in tickets, according to studio estimates Sunday.

While still good enough for No. 1, that total was $10-15 million off industry expectations and close to half of the $93 million debut of the previous 鈥淕odzilla鈥� movie.

Still, the weekend, led by one of the most classic movie monsters, brought Hollywood鈥檚 summer season into full swing. Last week鈥檚 top film, Disney鈥檚 live-action, blue-Will Smith 鈥淎laddin鈥� remake, slid to second with $42 million in its second weekend. And a rush of newcomers, including the Elton John biopic 鈥淩ocketman鈥� and the Octavia Spencer-led horror film 鈥淢a,鈥� swelled theatres with a variety of options.

Dexter Fletcher鈥檚 fantastical Elton John biopic 鈥淩ocketman,鈥� starring Taron Egerton, didn鈥檛 launch with the same bravado as last year鈥檚 Freddie Mercury biopic 鈥淏ohemian Rhapsody.鈥� But it opened solidly in third with $25 million. The weekend鈥檚 most profitable release, by percentage, was likely the Blumhouse Production thriller 鈥淢a,鈥� which made $18.2 million against a $5 million budget.

Critics are raving about , calling it an 鈥渆pic musical fantasy鈥� that鈥檚 鈥渦nlike anything you鈥檝e ever seen.鈥� Get tickets now to experience it on the big screen:

鈥� Rocketman (@rocketmanmovie)

Even with a toothless 鈥淕odzilla,鈥� the weekend was up drastically 鈥� 62 per cent, according to Comscore 鈥� from the same weekend last year, when the swiftly forgotten 鈥淪olo鈥� was in its second weekend.

Part of the appeal of giant monster films from a studio standpoint is their popularity in Asia. This 鈥淕odzilla鈥� fared best in China, opening there with $70 million. It made $130 million internationally overall.

But in Godzilla, some see a flagging franchise of unrealized potential. In its three recent blockbuster iterations going back to Gareth Edwards鈥� 1998 Sony release, none have drawn much praise from fans or critics. This latest one, directed by Michael Dougherty, has a 40 per cent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Warner Bros. is developing a face-off movie between Godzilla and King Kong, who was last featured in 鈥淜ong: Skull Island.鈥� That 2017 release opened with $61 million and went on to make $566 million worldwide. Jeff Goldstein, distribution chief for Warner Bros., believes the $200-million budgeted 鈥淜ing of the Monsters鈥� can keep drawing moviegoers to the studio鈥檚 ongoing monster franchises.

鈥淭he avid fans of Godzilla came out Thursday and Friday,鈥� said Goldstein. 鈥淭he real key for us is how broadly can we expand over the next couple weeks? Can we hold on to an interest that鈥檚 wider than the regular Godzilla fans? I think we can.鈥�

In Godzilla鈥檚 shadow, counterprogramming thrived. Coming off its acclaimed premiere at the Cannes Film Festival , 鈥淩ocketman,鈥� which Elton John executive produced, opened well if not spectacularly for Paramount Pictures. The R-rated biopic cost about $40 million to make.

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Aiming to capitalize on the British singer鈥檚 worldwide appeal, the stars of 鈥淩ocketman鈥� have circled the globe ahead of release. It added $19.2 million internationally. In Russia, the film鈥檚 local distributor cut out scenes depicting homosexual activity and drug use. John and the filmmakers criticized the move as 鈥渁 sad reflection of the divided world we still live in.鈥�

Though 鈥淩ocketman鈥� shares much with 鈥淏ohemian Rhapsody鈥� 鈥� including Fletcher, who helmed the Mercury film after Bryan Singer departed production 鈥� its makers have sought to distance it from last year鈥檚 Oscar-winning $900-million sensation.

鈥淭hat movie is a unicorn,鈥� Egerton said in Cannes. 鈥淥ur movie is a different animal.鈥�

鈥淢a,鈥� fashioned by Blumhouse as the production company鈥檚 contemporary answer to 鈥淢isery,鈥� reteams Spencer with 鈥淭he Help鈥� director Tate Taylor. Spencer鈥檚 first solo lead performance drew an especially diverse audience, 57 per cent of which was female.

鈥淭he best news this weekend was for the industry itself,鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. 鈥淓ven if the top movie didn鈥檛 earn $100 million, we had a big up weekend and we need more of those to get out of this deficit that we鈥檝e been in since basically the beginning of the year.鈥�

The news, though, wasn鈥檛 good for 鈥淏ooksmart,鈥� the acclaimed teen comedy starring Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever. Amid its disappointing wide-release opening last weekend, director Olivia Wilde appealed on social media for fans to support a movie 鈥渕ade by and about women.鈥� On its second weekend, 鈥淏ooksmart鈥� couldn鈥檛 turn it around, earning $3.3 million on 2,518 screens.

Overseas, Cannes鈥� Palme d鈥橭r winner 鈥淧arasite,鈥� a social satire from Korean director Bong Joon-ho, opened with $24.6 million. That was driven largely by stellar sales in South Korea where Bong鈥檚 raucous thriller easily outpaced 鈥淕odzilla.鈥�

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Comscore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included.

1. 鈥淕odzilla: King of the Monsters,鈥� $49 million ($130 million international).

2. 鈥淎laddin,鈥� $42.3 million ($78.3 million international).

3. 鈥淩ocketman,鈥� $25 million ($19.2 million international).

4. 鈥淢a,鈥� $18.3 million ($2.8 million international).

5. 鈥淛ohn Wick: Chapter 3 鈥� Parabellum,鈥� $11.1 million ($12.7 million international).

6. 鈥淎vengers: Endgame,鈥� $7.8 million ($8.6 million international).

7. 鈥淧okemon Detective Pikachu,鈥� $6.7 million ($14.6 million international).

8. 鈥淏ooksmart,鈥� $3.3 million.

9. 鈥淏rightburn,鈥� $2.3 million.

10. 鈥淭he Hustle,鈥� $1.3 million.

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Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theatres (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to Comscore:

1. 鈥淕odzilla: King of the Monsters,鈥� $130 million.

2. 鈥淎laddin,鈥� $78.3 million.

3. 鈥淧arasite,鈥� $24.6 million.

4. 鈥淩ocketman,鈥� $19.2 million.

5. 鈥淒oraemon: Nobita鈥檚 Chronicle Of The Moon Exploration,鈥� $18.4 million.

6. 鈥淭he Secret Life of Pets 2,鈥� $17.2 million.

7. 鈥淧okemon Detective Pikachu,鈥� $14.6 million.

8. 鈥淛ohn Wick: Chapter 3 鈥� Parabellum鈥� $12.7 million.

9. 鈥淎vengers: Endgame,鈥� $8.6 million.

10. 鈥淗appy Little Submarine: Space Pals,鈥� $3.4 million.

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

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press

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