Dazed by Election, Americans Flee (to the Movies)

For the poor, the tired, the wretched masses yearning to be free of the American presidential election, there was an escape this weekend and it was to be found in a dark room with make-believe characters on a big screen. Doctor Strange got the most box-office love for the second weekend in a row with $43 million, reports the AP, which calls the finish "an especially strong hold" for Benedict Cumberbatch and Co. Close behind again in the No. 2 spot was Trolls, an animated flick with Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick that finished with $35.1 million. "There's no better way to unplug and avoid politics than to go out to the movies for a couple of hours. It's a sanctuary," a comScore analyst tells USA Today.

Arrival, starring Amy Adams debuted at No. 3 with $24 million. But moviegoers traded one seemingly unending saga for another with the No. 4 movie, Almost Christmas, about a holiday that is currently exactly six weeks away. And at No. 5, Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge pulled in $10.8 million. If this weekend's numbers don't seem especially huge to you, consider that they're up almost 50% over this time last year. (More box office stories.)