'Maleficent' edges 'Joker' for weekend box-office crown
"Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" earned $19.4 million, pulling ahead of "Joker".
The "Maleficent" sequel has overtaken "Joker" for the weekend box-office crown in North America.
Final figures released Monday showed "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" earned $19.4 million, pulling ahead of "Joker" by a mere $122,000.
"Joker" had been the top film on Sunday based on studio estimates after being knocked out of the top spot by "Maleficent" last week.
Joaquin Phoenix traces the origins of the classic Batman villain in "Joker." It has earned $278 million in the United States and Canada in its first four weeks, and it is the international record-holder for an R-rated film with $852 million in earnings.
The "Maleficent" sequel, which stars Angelina Jolie as the classic Disney villain, has earned $66.2 million in North America in its first two weeks.
