Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continue US box office reign

The Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles first hit the big screen in 1990 before a sequel a year later

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has topped the North American box office for a second consecutive week.

The live action revival of the 1980s cartoon reptiles took $28.4m (£17.m) according to early estimates.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy was at two with $24.7m (£14.8m), bringing its three-week US haul to $222m (£133m).

Action comedy Let's Be Cops opened at number three taking $17.7m (£10.6m) with action sequel The Expendables 3 debuting at four with $16.2m (£9.7m).

It was a weak opening for the Sylvester Stallone film which sees a host of action stars of yesteryear including Dolph Lundgren, Wesley Snipes, Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford team up as part of Stallone's mercenary group.

Takings were well behind previous debuts in the franchise. In 2010 The Expendables opened with $34.8m (£20.8m) and The Expendables 2 took $28.6m (£17.1m) in 2012.

The third instalment is the first to be rated PG-13 - which allows children to watch the film although parents are advised caution - whereas the first two were R-rated, restricting under 17s unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Its lower rating, together with being leaked online before release, is thought to have damaged its performance in cinemas.

Fantasy drama The Giver, starring Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep opened at five with $12.8m (£7.7m).

The film, adapted from the 1993 young-adult Lois Lowry novel, tells of a futuristic society in which a 16-year-old is chosen to be the receiver of its past memories.

The Expendables 3 sees Arnold Schwarzenegger return to the Sylvester Stallone franchise