“Black Phone 2,” a horror sequel starring Ethan Hawke, captured the top spot at the North American box office with $26.5 million as spooky season shifts into high gear in the run-up to Halloween, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The film from Universal and low-budget horror specialists Blumhouse has excellent critical and audience scores, said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

“This is an excellent opening for the second episode in a horror series,” Gross said.

“Tron: Ares,” the latest installment in the Disney sci-fi franchise, followed up a disappointing debut with $11.1 million in its second week for second place in the United States and Canada, Exhibitor Relations reported.

The action flick — which stars Jared Leto, Greta Lee and Evan Peters — tells of ma

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