A group of ancient Egyptian deities couldn't take down the merc with a mouth.

Marvel's antihero blockbuster Deadpool continued to dominate North American movie theatres over the weekend, earning an estimated $31.5 million in its third week and besting newcomer Gods of Egypt, according to comScore estimates Sunday.

The total domestic haul for 20th Century Fox's comic book adaptation starring Ryan Reynolds as Marvel's foul-mouthed mercenary now stands at $285.6 million, making it the third highest-grossing R-rated film behind American Sniper and The Passion of the Christ.

Lionsgate's Gods of Egypt, featuring Gerard Butler as a rebellious Egyptian god debuted in second place with $14 million. The film, which reportedly cost $140 million, and also stars Brenton Thwaites and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, is Hollywood's first major flop of the year.

"Lionsgate went for it, and I think the unpredictability of this marketplace made it too tough for them," said Paul Dergarabedian, comScore's senior media analyst. "I think we'll probably have to wait until Batman v Superman to see another massive opening weekend."

CASTING BACKLASH

Gods of Egypt faced backlash last year for casting mostly white actors in a film based on Egyptian mythology.

The film's director, Alex Proyas, who was born in Egypt, apologised in a statement in November. Lionsgate issued a separate statement that said they are deeply committed to making films that reflect the diversity of their audiences and pledged to do better.

Other newcomers that failed to topple Deadpool this weekend included the feel-good Olympic tale, Eddie the Eagle, in fifth place with $6.3 million and the heist romp, Triple 9, in sixth place with $6.1 million.

The Revenant, was the only Academy Award contender to crack the weekend's Top 10 with $3.8 million in its 10th week of release. The survival epic leads Oscar nominees with 12 nods at Sunday's 88th annual

ceremony, including best picture, best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, best supporting actor for Tom Hardy, and best director for Alejandro G. Inarritu.

Here are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at United States and Canadian theatres, according to comScore:

1. Deadpool, $31.5 million ($40.2 million international).

2. Gods of Egypt, $14 million ($24 million international).

3. Kung Fu Panda 3, $9 million ($4.5 million international).

4. Risen, $7 million.

5. Eddie the Eagle, $6.3 million.

6. Triple 9, $6.1 million ($450,000 international).

7. How To Be Single, $5.2 million ($6.1 million international).

8. The Witch, $5 million.

9. Race, $4.3 million.

10. The Revenant, $3.8 million ($14.1 million international).