Bridget Jones’s Baby, Blair Witch and Snowden didn’t ground Sully at the US weekend box office.
The dramatisation of the Miracle on the Hudson – directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks as Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger – remained at number one for the second week with $22 million (£16.9 million).
A trio of newcomers failed to fly close to the haul earned by Sully.
The horror revival Blair Witch nabbed $9.7 million (£7.4 million) to come in second, while the comedy Bridget Jones’s Baby, starring Renee Zellweger, crawled away with $8.2 million (£6.3 million).
Snowden, which features Joseph Gordon-Levitt portraying NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, opened in fourth with $8 million (£6.1 million).
The debut marks the lowest in filmmaker Oliver Stone’s career.