LOS ANGELES (AP) — Despite a fresh injection of four big movies into the marketplace including a Stephen King adaptation, a World War II epic, a glossy, holiday-themed romantic comedy and a family friendly comedy, audiences largely stayed away from theaters this weekend and the North American box office is hurting.

Down nearly 27% from last year, the sluggish weekend allowed for a few big surprises however. The biggest surprise was the fact that the Roland Emmerich film "Midway," which slightly overperformed, snagged the first-place spot over Warner Bros.' "Doctor Sleep," a film that came in w...