'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' second-highest opening ever in N. America

Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill, seen earlier this month at the European premiere of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi,' a film that Disney says has surpassed the $1 billion mark

"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" netted an estimated $220 million in North America on its opening weekend, according to Exhibitor Relations, a figure bettered only by 2015's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." It was followed in second place by computer-animated comedy "Ferdinand" which took $13 million on what was also its debut weekend. The latest instalment in the hugely popular sci-fi saga was widely expected to cash in on 12 months of relentless hype with one of the biggest domestic opening weekends. It has won early critical acclaim even as movie-goers have been more circumspect, earning it a tepid 57 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 93 percent among professional reviewers. Last weekend's number one "Coco," a colorful Pixar movie set in Mexico, was beat out to third place with $10 million. Feel-good film "Wonder" starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay slid to fourth, taking $5.4 million while "Justice League" fell to fifth with $4.2 million. Rounding out the top ten were: "Daddy's Home 2" ($3.8 million) "Thor: Ragnarok" ($2.9 million) "The Disaster Artist" ($2.6 million) "Murder On The Orient Express" ($2.5 million) "Lady Bird" ($2.1 million)