A pair of Hollywood A-listers bounced back at the box office this weekend, challenging an October record in the process.

Coming in first is The Martian (read our review), which posted $55 million in its first three days. That's just below the October opening record that was established by Gravity in 2013 ($55.7 million), meaning this film marks a much-needed comeback for star Matt Damon and director Ridley Scott. Critically hailed as the best film they've been involved with in years, it's also on track to become one of their top commercial earners. The Martian has the second-highest debut for any movie Damon has starred in (trailing only The Bourne Ultimatum), and it's also the same for Scott.

One would expect The Martian to hold well in the coming weeks. The word of mouth is enthusiastic , meaning it should continue to bring in large crowds throughout the month. It's true that in October the multiplex will start to get a little crowded as projects with aspirations towards awards open, but The Martian is riding high after a strong weekend and is certainly off to a rousing start. It has the widespread appeal and generally positive reception that's needed to become the blockbuster hit of the season.

Falling to second is Hotel Transylvania 2. The animated sequel brought in $33 million during its second weekend, which is only a 31.9 percent drop from its stellar opening. The film is now at $90.5 million domestically.

Expanding nationwide to 2,620 theaters, Sicario came in third with $12 million. Lionsgate may have been hoping for more from their acclaimed drama, but the R-rated crime thriller was always going to have a tough time competing with films like The Martian and Hotel Transylvania, which were aimed at broader audiences. Moderately budgeted at $30 million, Sicario didn't need to break the bank to be successful. It's up to $15 million domestically and $25 million worldwide, meaning it should turn a profit when it's all said and done -- especially if it holds well thanks to strong word of mouth.

The lighthearted comedy The Intern comes in at #4 with $11.6 million, a 34.5 percent drop from last week's opening figures. The film has now made $36.5 million in the States.

Rounding out the top five is Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. The young adult adaptation grossed $7.6 million over the weekend to raise its domestic total to $63.2 million. It's doing fine on its own, but the sequel is considerably below where last year's original was ($73.5 million) at the same point in its run.

Black Mass is the #6 film, grossing $5.9 million in its third weekend. The Whitey Bulger biopic is up to $52.5 million Stateside.

Everest came in seventh with $5.5 million. The survival thriller has now made $33.1 million domestically. It's done far better internationally, as the worldwide total is at $136.4 million.

Horror flick The Visit is at #8 with $3.9 million. The latest film by director M. Night Shyamalan has now made $57.6 million in the States.

Religious drama War Room comes in at #9 with $2.8 million. The film has now grossed $60.5 million in the States.

Finishing off the top ten is The Perfect Guy, which brought in $2.4 million over the weekend. The film is now at $52.6 million domestically.

[NOTE: These are only weekend box office estimates -- based on Friday and Saturday ticket sales coupled with adjusted expectations for Sunday. Official weekend box office results will be released on Monday, October 5 -- at which time we'll update this post with any changes.]

Source: Box Office Mojo