The film took in $80.3 million LOS ANGELES: Superhero blockbuster “Venom” saved the day at the North American box office this weekend, pulling in more than $80 million in ticket sales, industry data showed on Monday. The film, a Spider-Man spinoff marking the official launch of Sony’s Marvel Universe, stars Tom Hardy as a journalist who becomes the host for an alien symbiote that gives him superpowers. The character is a villain in the “Spider-Man” comic book world. Industry tracker Exhibitor Relations said the film took in $80.3 million. That was enough to break October’s opening weekend record by more than $20 million, said another industry tracker, Box Office Mojo. Another new release took second place. Musical romance “A Star Is Born” earned $42.9 million over the three-day weekend, Exhibitor Relations said. The third remake of the 1937 film of the same name, it marks Bradley Cooper’s directing debut. He also stars as a musician who discovers and falls in love with a young singer played by pop superstar Lady Gaga. Third place went to Warner Bros’s “Smallfoot,” with earnings of $14.4 million in its second weekend. The comic family animation tells the story of a group of Yeti who come across a human, with voicing by Channing Tatum, LeBron James and Danny DeVito. Coming in fourth was last weekend’s champion, Universal’s “Night School,” whose earnings dropped $15 million to $12.5 million this weekend. The raucous comedy stars Kevin Hart as one student in a class of misfits working toward high school diplomas under the firm tutelage of Tiffany Haddish. Fifth place went to Universal’s family-friendly offering “The House With a Clock in Its Walls,” which slipped from third place last weekend with takings of $7.3 million. Rounding out this weekend’s top 10 were: “A Simple Favor” ($3.4 million) “The Nun” ($2.7 million) “Crazy Rich Asians” ($2.2 million) “Hell Fest” ($2.1 million) “The Predator” ($947,000)