LOS ANGELES: Disney's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," featuring Marvel's first Asian superhero, topped the North American box office for the second week in a row, grossing $34.7 million, according to figures released Monday.

According to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations, the film, which stars Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu as a former assassin in the shadow of an evil father (Hong Kong legend Tony Leung), has earned $144.5 million in US and Canadian theatres.

With $5.8 million, 20th Century's sci-fi comedy "Free Guy" reclaimed second place. It stars Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds as an ordinary bank teller who discovers he is a non-player character in a huge video game.

One of the week's new releases, the horror picture "Malignant," came in third place with $5.4 million.

Industry analyst David A. Gross, the head of Franchise Entertainment Research, described it as a "poor opening for a genre which has done quite well over the pandemic."

In fourth place was the slasher film "Candyman" by Universal, a recreation of a 1992 classic film of the same name. The film raked in 4.8 million dollars the previous week and has generated a total of 48 million dollars in North America so far.

With $2.3 million in box office receipts, Disney's family adventure film "Jungle Cruise" ranked fifth.