Ocean's 8: Female-fronted reboot tops US weekend box office ahead of Solo, Deadpool 2 and Avengers: Infinity War

The women of Ocean's 8 proved this weekend that they know how to steal the show — and much more — as the new heist flick took in an estimated $41.6 million in North American theaters. With an all-star cast led by the ever-popular Sandra Bullock and supported by Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling and Rihanna, the Warner Bros film was Hollywood’s latest experiment — after Ghostbusters — in replacing an all-male cast with female stars. _Also read: As Ocean's 8 shows, Hollywood is in speed-mode to make up for its sins; is it working?_ [caption id=“attachment_4508451” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Ocean’s 8 promo. Image via Twitter[/caption] The result: One of the top 10 openings of the year so far and a better debut than the three earlier Ocean’s editions made by Steven Soderbergh and starring a male principal cast. The film also topped the myriad films that centred around superheroes or science fiction. The latest chapter stars Bullock as Debbie Ocean, sister of Danny Ocean — played by George Clooney in the Soderbergh films — as she assembles a gang of talented women to plan a seemingly impossible diamond heist from a glamorous gala in New York. In second place at the US box office was last weekend’s leader, Solo: A Star Wars Story , starring Alden Ehrenreich as a young version of the swashbuckling space pilot. The Disney film took in $15.7 million, roughly half its previous weekend’s total. Third spot went to Deadpool 2 from 20th Century Fox, at $14.1 million. This latest in Fox’s X-Men series stars Ryan Reynolds in the title role. Its worldwide ticket sales have surpassed $650 million. In fourth was a new film, Hereditary , at $13.6 million, the best opening ever for A24, the indie production house behind Moonlight, Lady Bird and The Disaster Artist. The horror film, about a family haunted after its matriarch dies, stars Toni Collette and Gabriel Byrne. Its decent opening came in spite of an R-rating and a D+ audience rating from CinemaScore. In fifth was Avengers: Infinity War , from Disney-owned Marvel, at $7.2 million. With a cast including Robert Downey Jr, Benedict Cumberbatch and Scarlett Johansson, the superstar-rich extravaganza is now a mere $500,000 away from becoming the fourth movie in history to cross the $2 billion mark worldwide. Less successful was Hotel Artemis, starring Jodie Foster. The Global Road release, also starring Sterling K Brown, Dave Bautista and Charlie Day, flopped with $3.2 million. Ocean’s 8 releases in India on 22 June. _Also watch: Final Ocean's 8 trailer introduces eight major characters and their hilarious backstories_

With inputs from Agence France-Presse and Associated Press