Audiences turned out in force to see Matt Damon in Jason Bourne, pushing the spy sequel to a sterling $60 million debut.

The film marked the actor’s return to the action franchise after a nine-year hiatus, during which he repeatedly hinted that he might be done with his most popular role.

Be it creative spark or big paydays, he was somehow lured back to the series. That’s good news for Universal, which ran the risk of losing a Tiffany franchise without Damon’s involvement. In the interim, the studio had made an ill-conceived attempt at cinematic universe building with The Bourne Legacy, introducing Jeremy Renner as another amnesic ass-kicker dubbed Aaron Cross. The crowds did not exactly flock to see this sub-Bourne, and the film grossed about $150 million less than The Bourne Ultimatum globally.

From left, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis and Kathryn Hahn in Bad Moms.From left, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis and Kathryn Hahn in Bad Moms.

Jason Bourne marks the series’ second highest opening, behind The Bourne Ultimatum’s $69.3 million debut. When adjusted for inflation, however, it trails all but The Bourne Legacy’s opening weekends. Universal spent $120 million to make the latest instalment and released it in 4,026 theatres.

Paramount's Star Trek Beyond slipped roughly 60 per cent in its second weekend to gross $24 million and nab second place. That brings the sci-fi sequel's domestic haul to $105.7 million.

Even with Bourne’s resurgence commanding most of the attention, the weekend’s other major new wide release managed to score a respectable debut.

STX Entertainment’s Bad Moms opened to a healthy $23.4 million and a third place finish. That’s a strong return on the film’s $20 million production budget.

Bad Moms stars Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn as women who reject the pressure to be perfect parents, and instead indulge in hard partying and a more relaxed, Chablis-fuelled approach to child rearing.

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