(Bloomberg) –“Ford v Ferrari,” the racing drama starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon, opened as the top film in North America, blowing by the World War II film “Midway.”

The movie generated sales of $31 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters, researcher Comscore Inc. estimated Sunday. Analysts had expected $22 million to $32 million. Disney, which inherited the movie from its 20th Century Fox acquisition, had predicted a debut in the high teens.

Key Insights

• The story, about a race car built in the 1960s to help the Ford Motor Co. beat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France, won over most critics tracked by Rotten Tomatoes.
• Director James Mangold — known for “Walk the Line”– also worked with Bale in “3:10 to Yuma.” The director’s R-rated “Logan” opened to over $85 million in 2017.
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• Two other films opened in wide release: “Charlie’s Angels” from Sony, in third place with $8.6 million, and “The Good Liar” from Warner Bros., in seventh place with $5.7 million.
• It’s the third time since 2000 that “Charlie’s Angels,” which started as a 1970s television show, has come to the big screen.
• The U.S. box office is still mired in a slump. Last weekend marked the first time in 20 years a November film didn’t bring in at least $20 million over the weekend.