Benedict Cumberbatch as “Doctor Strange” cast his spell on the weekend box office, landing in the No. 1 spot with an estimated $85 million opening.

LOS ANGELES — A strong batch of new films drew audiences to the theaters in large numbers this weekend, including Marvel’s “Doctor Strange,” the animated “Trolls” and Mel Gibson’s World War II drama “Hacksaw Ridge,” effectively waking up the sleepy fall box office. The top three films all garnered largely positive reviews from critics.

As the superhero in the bunch, “Doctor Strange” easily dominated with $85 million in North America theaters according to studio estimates Sunday. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the neurosurgeon turned sorcerer, “Doctor Strange” opened internationally last weekend. It’s already grossed $325.4 million globally.

It’s the 14th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the 14th to open at No. 1. As one of the lesser-known properties, it far-surpassed “Ant-Man’s” $57.2 million launch, but fell a little short of “Guardians of the Galaxy’s” $94.3 million debut.

DreamWorks Animation’s “Trolls,” a family-friendly musical featuring the voices of Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake, took second place with $45.6 million in North America, and $30 million internationally

And in third place, “Hacksaw Ridge,” Gibson’s film about the true story of the conscientious objector Desmond Doss’s (Andrew Garfield) heroics during the battle of Okinawa, earned $14.8 million.

“Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween” and “Inferno” took spots four and five, respectively.