'Gravity' Tops U.S Box Office Again on Second Week

"Gravity," a 3D outer space thriller movie, held the U.S box office top spot for the second time during the weekend, earning a domestic ticket sales of $44.3 million from Friday all throughout Sunday, Reuters reports.

Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, the movie has wowed critics and movie goers with its 3D renditions of space and the popular weightless notion that comes with it. The movie’s success has overshadowed the $26 million sales record earned during the opening of "Captain Phillips," a drama movie starring Tom Hanks. The story is inspired by the real-life hijacking incident of a U.S cargo vessel. In the meantime, the No.3 slot is occupied by the animated movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" with a sales record of $14.3 million.

Both "Gravity" and "Captain Phillips" garnered inspiring reviews and recognitions as possible contenders in the Oscars. While the former is cited for its 3D portrayal of space and how things in space become weightless, the latter is noted for its interpretation of the ordeal suffered by Captain Richard Phillips when he was taken hostage after a group of Somali pirates occupied his ship in 2009. The character had been successfully portrayed by Hanks and has earned him high praises for his credible performance.

On the official Rotten Tomatoes website, 97 percent of the critics’ reviews recommended "Gravity" while 95 percent opted to recommend "Captain Phillips."

In "Gravity," Bullock played the role of a tyro astronaut and engineer while Clooney played as a mission commander. When their shuttle had been damaged by flying debris, the duo had to survive being hurled into space in the midst of diminishing oxygen supply and decreasing chances to come back to Earth.

"Gravity" is a film by Warner Bros, a subsidy company of Time Warner Inc. "Captain Phillips" on the other hand is from Sony Corporation.