Jordan Peele’s UFO thriller “Nope” topped the North American charts in its first weekend in theaters with an estimated $44 million in ticket sales, Universal Pictures said Sunday.

The Marvel sequel “Thor: Love & Thunder” dropped a hefty 68% in its second weekend of release but still held the top spot at the box office.

Hollywood is bringing out some of its biggest and most reliable players for the 2022 summer movie season, which unofficially kicks off this weekend with the help of Marvel and Disney’s “Doctor Strange and the Multitverse of Madness” and runs through the end of August.

This week’s new entertainment releases include an album and companion book by Dolly Parton, the comedy-thriller “Fresh” starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Roger Allam playing a French crime-buster in “Murder in Provence.”.

The 44th annual Sundance Film Festival is back, and entirely online once more.