That gave the Paramount film the second highest domestic opening of the year, behind only the Disney/Marvel blockbuster “Black Panther,” in one of the top openings ever for a horror flick.

“A Quiet Place” is built around a simple but chilling premise: flesh-eating creatures have invaded Earth, but they are blind and can track their prey only by sound.

So actor/director John Krasinski, his wife (in the film and in real life) Emily Blunt and their children must adapt — through sign language and ingenious adaptations — or die.

The film has drawn rave reviews, with a 97% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Last week’s box-office leader, Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” — a futuristic homage to films of the 1980s — came in second this weekend at US$25.1 million. The Warner Bros. film tells the story of a teenage gamer (Wade Watts) who finds himself inside an addictive virtual reality world.

In third was another new release, Universal’s “Blockers,” at US$21.4 million. A raunchy comedy starring John Cena and Leslie Mann, the movie drew considerable buzz at the South by Southwest film festival.

Still flourishing in its eighth week out, “Black Panther” netted US$8.4 million for fourth spot. Already the highest-grossing superhero film in US history, its cumulative total in the US and Canada now exceeds US$665 million. The film stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o.

In fifth was faith-based drama “I Can Only Imagine” from Roadside Attractions, at US$8.4 million. The movie, starring J. Michael Finley as lead singer in a popular Christian band, was made for a modest US$7 million and now has a North American net of US$69 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“Tyler Perry’s Acrimony” (US$8.1 million)

“Chappaquiddick” (US$6.2 million)

“Sherlock Gnomes” (US$5.6 million)

“Pacific Rim: Uprising” (US$4.9 million)

“Isle of Dogs” (US$4.6 million)