LOS ANGELES, Sept. 21 -- Resident Evil, a horror movie based on a video game franchise, swept the North American box office with (US$60 million; RM245.1 million) opening weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The Sony-distributed movie is directed by Zach Cregger and stars Austin Abrams, who plays a medical courier battling mutant creatures to deliver a package to a remote hospital.

Resident Evil displaced last week's top performer, Warner Bros' Practical Magic 2, a long-awaited sequel starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, into a distant second place.

The story of the modern-day witches, who face a curse that sees any man they fall in love with doomed to an early death, took (US$12.2 million; RM49.8 million) after last weekend...