The video game action-comedy Free Guy has topped the North American box office in its opening weekend, taking in $28.4 million, preliminary figures from trade firm Exhibitor Relations showed Sunday. 

The film, which lightheartedly explores the boundary between the virtual and the real, features an anti-hero played by Ryan Reynolds, a man who realises he is a character in a video game and seeks to take control of his destiny.

"This is a very good opening under difficult conditions. The Delta variant is taking a toll," David A. Gross, who runs consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, told AFP, referring to a surge in coronavirus cases. 

The horror feature Don't Breathe 2, about a game of mass murder perpetrated by a blind veteran, came in second place with $10.6 million in its first weekend. 

In third place was Disney's family adventure film Jungle Cruise, based on a theme park ride, with $9 million for the Friday-Sunday period. 

Right behind it, the biopic about soul queen Aretha Franklin, Respect came in fourth with $8.8 million, and rounding out the top five was the supervillain movie The Suicide Squad, which amassed $7.8 million. 

Here are the rest of the top 10: 

Old ($2.4 million) 

Black Widow ($2 million) 

Stillwater ($1.3 million) 

The Green Knight ($1.2 million)

Space Jam: A New Legacy ($1.2 million)