LOS ANGELES ~ The big screen rendering of the superhero graphic novel Watchmen stormed to the top of the weekend’s North American box office, final industry figures showed.

Acclaimed as a faithful adaptation of Alan Moore’s classic comic book, Zack Snyder’s tale follows the lives of numerous superheroes in an alternate 1985 America and took in US$55.2 million, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

After two weeks at number one, Tyler Perry’s comedy about a grandmother behind bars, Madea Goes to Jail, was locked out of the top spot, taking in $8.5 million for second place.

Rising back up the charts to third place, kidnap thriller Taken starring Liam Neeson as a former spy whose daughter becomes a victim of human traffickers, brought in $7.3 million, bringing it to a total of $117.9 million in six weeks.

Multi-Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire hung in at number four, earning $6.8 million in receipts in its 17th week in North American cinemas.

In fifth place, Paul Blart Mall Cop – the laughable saga of a security guard turned hero – proved its staying power by rising one spot, with $4.1 million in sales for a total of $133.6 million.

With an all-star cast including Ben Affleck and Jennifer Aniston, romantic comedy He’s Just Not That Into You continued its slide into sixth with tales of modern dating disasters, earning $4 million in sales.

Steady at the seventh spot was animated children’s adventure Coraline, which earned $3.3 million. At eighth, light-hearted romantic comedy Confessions of a Shopaholic was worth $3.1 million in its fourth weekend.

The much-anticipated but critically maligned 3D biopic from teen sensations The Jonas Brothers fell in one week from a promising second place to the ninth spot, taking in $2.8 million.

Trailing at 10th place was the comedy Fired Up, about a pair of high-school footballers who join a cheerleading camp. It earned $2.5 million in its third week of release.