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 well under expectations and has left many in the business scratching their heads as to why.

Lionsgate on Sunday estimated that “Midway” earned $17.5 million from 3,242 screens. The studio acquired the film about the Battle of Midway that features a large ensemble cast including Nick Jonas and Patrick Wilson.

“As expected, everyone is ecstatic,” said David Spitz, Lionsgate’s president of domestic distribution.

“Midway” cost a reported $100 million to produce and the studio is projecting that the film will have grossed $20.1 million by the end of Veteran’s Day today.

Reviews didn’t seem to play into account with the box office at all this weekend. Critics were not kind to “Midway” (it’s currently at 40% on Rotten Tomatoes), but audiences, who were largely male (60 and older (87% were over 25) had given the film an A CinemaScore.

And although $17.5 million is not a massive number on its own, it was a significant upset since going into the weekend experts thought the No. 1 spot would easily go to Warner Bros.’ “Doctor Sleep,” the high-profile Stephen King adaptation starring Ewan McGregor.