New York - "Batman Begins" maintained its reign atop North American box offices for a second weekend with a gross of 26.8 million dollars from Friday through Sunday, according to preliminary studio estimates.
The superhero action film held off a challenge from "Bewitched", a film version of an American situation-comedy series about a witch who marries an ordinary man. Starring Hollywood superstar Nicole Kidman alongside comedy veteran Will Ferrell, the supernatural romp raked in 20.2 million dollars.
Another star-powered odd-couple marriage movie, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as spouses unware of the other's secret work as an assassin, placed third with 16.75 million dollars in ticket sales in its third weekend in release.
Two other premiers did poorly over the weekend.
"Herbie: Fully Loaded", featuring teen star Lindsay Lohan in an update of a decades-old comedy film series, debuted at 12.75 million dollars. "George Romero's Land of the Dead", a continuation of the director's zombie series, was fifth at 10.2 million dollars.
The bottom half of the top 10 was filled out by longer-running movies.
The animated hit "Madagascar" was at 7.3 million dollars, and "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" added to its haul with 6.25 million dollars. Prison football remake "The Longest Yard" was eighth at 5.5 million dollars.
"The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D" eked out another 3.4 million dollars, while the Depression-era boxing story "Cinderella Man" was 10th at 3.3 million dollars.
© dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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