(Reuters) - The 3-D outer space thriller, "Gravity," continued to rocket past its box office competition over the weekend, eclipsing newcomer "Carrie," to maintain its tight grip on the U.S. and Canadian box offices.
"Gravity," starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as astronauts stranded in space, grabbed $31 million in ticket sales at North American theaters to hold the top spot for the third consecutive weekend. It had overall ticket sales of more than $170.6 million.
"Captain Phillips," a Tom Hanks movie based on a real-life pirate attack on a ship, was second with $17.3 million in ticket sales.
"Gravity" beat the $17 million made by "Carrie," which came in third. The remake of the 1976 horror film starring Sissy Spacek stars 16-year-old Chloe Grace Moretz as the shy girl who wreaks havoc on her tormentors by using her telekinetic powers to destroy her high school prom.
(Reporting by Ronald Grover and Andrea Burzynski; Editing by Sandra Maler)