Gone Girl slays Dracula to remain top of box-office chart

Also, MBC snaps up The X Factor Arabia, Guardians of Galaxy drawn to the small screen, Lost in Space tries to find its way back to TV, Jim Carrey to host SNL this month, and Penelope Cruz is Esquire magazine's hottest star.

Ben Affleck in a scene from Gone Girl. Merrick Morton / AP Photo / 20th Century Fox

Director David Fincher's Gone Girl, which opens here on Thursday, saw off the challenge of four new films to hold on to the top spot at the box office in its second weekend of release in North America. The thriller, starring Ben Affleck as a man who comes under suspicion when his wife goes missing, earned $26.8 million (Dh98.4m) in ticket sales, according to studio estimates, adding to the $38m from its opening weekend. Also starring Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl is based on the best-selling novel by Gillian Flynn, who adapted her book for the screen and rewrote the ending. "There's a mystery that's surrounding this movie," said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. "To have an adult drama like this hold up so well for two weekends in a row is really unusual." Dracula Untold, which has already opened here, took second place in the box-office chart with $23.4m during its first weekend. The Judge, which stars Robert Downey Jr and Robert Duvall, debuted in fifth place with $13.3m and Lionsgate's thriller ­Addicted opened in seventh place with $7.6m. – AP

MBC snaps up The X Factor Arabia

The X Factor Arabia has found a new home with the broadcaster MBC. The Arab version of the popular global talent show will return for a new season soon. The programme, which was broadcast last year on the satellite channel CBC, had an all-star judging panel featuring the Emirati singer Hussein Al Jasmi and the Lebanese pop stars Elissa and Wael Kfoury. There is no news yet on whether they will remain, or exactly when the show will launch, but contestants are invited to register on www.mbc.net. Last year's winner, Morocco's Mohammed Rifi, performed in the UAE last year as part of Dubai Music Week. – The National staff

Guardians of the Galaxy drawn to the small screen

A big-screen, live-action sequel to Marvel's surprise smash hit superhero romp Guardians of the Galaxy is already in the works, due for release in 2017, and now the company has announced that it is also developing an animated TV spin-off that will debut next year. Few details were given during the announcement at Comic con in New York this weekend, but Marvel's TV chief said: "This is a very exciting time for the Marvel Animation Studio as we get to explore the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe by developing the first-ever Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy animated series. After starring in the biggest movie of 2014, everyone wants more of Star-Lord and his crew – now they'll get it." - The National staff

Lost in Space tries to find its way back to TV

Classic 1960s TV sci-fi adventure Lost in Space could be finding its way back onto the small screen, according to Deadline. Legendary TV has reportedly hired Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, who wrote the currently on release movie Dracula Untold, to write the pilot script. The original show, from legendary sci-fi TV producer Irwin Allen, ran for three seasons between 1965 and 1968, and told the story of a family sent to colonise a distant planet, but whose ship is thrown off course by a stowaway scientist who wants to sabotage the mission. A big-screen remake was released in 1998, starring William Hirt, Gary Oldman and Matt Le Blanc. A previous attempt at a TV remake, in 2003, failed to get past the pilot stage. - The National staff

Carrey to host SNL this month

Comedy actor Jim Carrey will host Saturday Night Live on October 25, in the run-up to the release of Dumb and Dumber To, the long-awaited sequel to much-loved 1994 original. The musical guest will be the rapper Iggy Azalea, Entertainment Weekly reports. It will be Carrey's first turn hosting the show since 2011. - The National staff

Spanish actress is Esquire magazine’s hottest star

Penelope Cruz has been named Esquire magazine's "sexiest woman alive". The 40-year-old Spanish actress is the 11th woman to be given the title by the magazine, following in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Rihanna, Charlize Theron and Scarlett Johansson. Cruz, star of films such as Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Vanilla Sky, told the magazine that she had "an attraction to drama" in her teenage years and 20s, but "could not be less interested now". Cruz, who previously dated the actor Tom Cruise for three years, is keeping her personal life more low-profile these days – she declined to talk to the magazine about her marriage to the Spanish actor, Javier Bardem, or their two children. She says: "That is for us." The actress will next be seen on-screen in the Spanish-language film Ma Ma and the British comedy Grimsby, written by and starring Sacha Baron Cohen. The November issue of Esquire is out on October 21. – AP