Horror film IT Chapter Two stayed atop the North American box office at the weekend, but the buzzy new Jennifer Lopez movie Hustlers notched a strong second place, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Monday.

The latest Stephen King-inspired IT film, starring Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and Bill Skarsgard, earned Warner Bros $39.6 million for the three-day period, down from its $91 million opening last weekend. 

Hustlers, based on a true story about strippers who plot to steal from their wealthy clients in recession-hit New York, took in $33.2 million for STX Films, that studio's best start ever. J-Lo has gotten rave reviews: Rolling Stone called her "dazzling," "electrifying" and Oscar-worthy.

Hustlers also stars Constance Wu of Crazy Rich Asians fame, along with Julia Stiles, Cardi B and Lizzo.

Lionsgate's Angel Has Fallen, with Gerard Butler as a Secret Service agent accused of attempting to kill the US president, notched $4.5 million to place a distant third. 

In fourth was Good Boys, a raunchy tween comedy from Universal, at $4.2 million.

And in fifth place was Disney's updated The Lion King, at $3.6 million. Its global total has surpassed $1.6 billion, making it the seventh largest release of all time, Disney said.

Meantime, Warner Bros' widely promoted drama The Goldfinch, adapted from a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, earned a mere $2.7 million in what the Hollywood Reporter called "one of the worst starts ever" for a movie in wide release.