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Scaring away the competition! Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween beats out Inferno at box office

Published: 13:41 EDT, 30 October 2016 | Updated: 19:07 EDT, 30 October 2016

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Boo! A Madea Halloween - the latest installment in Tyler Perry's Madea comedy franchise - beat out Inferno to top the North American box office for a second weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The Lionsgate comedy, in which Perry reprises his role as a tough-talking matriarch, took in $16.7 million for a total of $52 million, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.

The filmmaker earlier this month told Philly.com that he felt the comedy was perfectly timed for release amid the heat of election season and other ongoing societal issues.

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Barging through the box office door: Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween was the weekend's top film for the second consecutive week, taking in $16.7 million. Perry (center, in costume) wrote, directed and starred in the comedy

Lady luck: Perry said that the Madea character resonates with moviegoers because 'people have this grandmother in their lives'

Comedy king: Perry said the timing of the comedy's release couldn't have been better, as 'so much is going on in this country, we just need to laugh'

'Everybody take a breath and just laugh,' he said. 'So much is going on in this country, we just need to laugh.'

Perry told the publication he felt the franchise's namesake is a character audiences can relate to.

'People have this grandmother in their lives,' he said. 'She told the truth, she wasn't politically correct, she said what was on her mind, and people just loved her.'

Impressive: Perry (in costume), with co-star Cassi Davis (left), flexed serious muscle in keeping the top spot amid newly-released movies starring A-listers Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise and Ben Affleck

The Ron Howard-directed Inferno, starring Tom Hanks, finished second with $15 million. The third installment of Sony's Da Vinci Code franchise fizzled against high expectations in its debut weekend, as industry experts tabbed the high-profile film to earn about $30 million.

Based on Dan Brown's bestselling book series, the film also featured a cast of Felicity Jones, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Irrfan Khan, Omar Sy and Ana Ularu. Hanks returned to the lead role of Harvard professor Robert Langdon, this time seeking to stop an evil billionaire from killing off the world's population by releasing a deadly virus.

The film, which cost around $75 million to make, has still been a profitable endeavor for Sony, drawing almost $150 million internationally, the AP reported, as it was released three weeks ago in overseas markets.

Moneymaker: While Inferno, starring Tom Hanks (left) and Felicity Jones (right) underwhelmed in its North American debut, it's been a smash hit overseas

Box Office Top Ten

1. Boo! A Madea Halloween, $16.7 million.

2. Inferno, $15 million.

3. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, $9.6 million.

4. The Accountant, $8.5 million.

5. Ouija: Origin of Evil, $7.1 million.

6. The Girl on the Train, $4.3 million.

7. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, $4 million.

8. Keeping Up With the Joneses, $3.4 million.

9. Storks, $2.8 million.

10. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, $2.1 million.

Sony domestic distribution chief Rory Bruer told the AP the studio 'thought of the film as for the international market,' and 'knew that's where the sweet spot was going to be,' adding, 'We got a few bad breaks, the biggest being this historical World Series.'

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back slipped a spot from last week to take third place with $9.6 million. The sequel to the 2012 film Jack Reacher stars Tom Cruise as a former Army soldier now going it alone, based on the book series by British author Lee Child.

The financial thriller The Accountant, starring Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick, held on to its number-four spot from last week with $8.5 million. The film follows a mathematics savant who capitalizes on his fondness for numbers by becoming an undercover forensic accountant for criminal organizations.

Star power: Madea squashed films starring A-listers Tom Cruise (left, with Cobie Smulder); and Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick

Horror sequel Ouija: Origin of Evil, about home seances gone wrong, dropped two spots to take fifth place during its second weekend with $7.1 million.

Rounding out the top 10 films were: The Girl on the Train ($4.3 million); Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children ($4 million); Keeping Up with the Joneses ($3.4 million); Storks ($2.8 million); and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil ($2.1 million).

Up next week for release in North America is Doctor Strange, the Marvel film starring Benedict Cumberbatch. It's already off to a scorching star abroad, taking in $86 million in its opening weekend.