Taika Waititi surprises fans at the ‘Free Guy’ Opening Night Fan Event at El Capitan Theatre on Thursday in Los Angeles, California. afp The video game action comedy “Free Guy” has topped the North American box office in its opening weekend, taking in $28.4 million, preliminary figures from trade firm Exhibitor Relations showed on Sunday. The film, which lightheartedly explores the boundary between the virtual and the real, features an anti-hero played by Ryan Reynolds, a man who realizes he is a character in a video game and seeks to take control of his destiny. “This is a very good opening under difficult conditions. The Delta variant is taking a toll,” David A. Gross, who runs consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, told AFP, referring to a surge in coronavirus cases. The horror feature “Don’t Breathe 2,” about a game of mass murder perpetuated by a blind veteran, came in second place with $10.6 million in its first weekend. In third place was Disney’s family adventure film “Jungle Cruise,” based on a theme park ride, with $9 million for the Friday-Sunday period. Right behind it, the biopic about soul queen Aretha Franklin, “Respect” came in fourth with $8.8 million, and rounding out the top five was the supervillain movie “The Suicide Squad,” which amassed $7.8 million.