LOS ANGELES, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Universal Pictures' science-fiction thriller film "Nope" topped the North American box office with an estimated 44 million U.S. dollars in ticket sales on its opening weekend, showed figures from measurement firm Comscore on Sunday.

Written and directed by Jordan Peele, the film stars Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer and Steven Yeun as residents in a lonely gulch of inland California who bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.

"Nope" holds an approval rating of 83 percent based on 232 reviews to date on review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. According to market research firm CinemaScore, the film received a "B" rating from audience.

Disney and Marvel Studios' superhero film "Thor: Love and Thunder" slipped to second place on its third weekend with 22.1 million dollars, pushing its North American cume to 276.22 million dollars for a global total of 598.2 million dollars.

Rounding out the top three, Universal Pictures' animated comedy film "Minions: The Rise of Gru" landed in third place with 17.71 million dollars in its fourth weekend with a North American total of 297.85 million dollars.