Will Smith's 'After Earth' Loses to 'Now You See Me', Box Office Reports

Yahoo! Movies/Columbia Pictures - Will Smith and Jaden Smith in Columbia Pictures' "After Earth" - 2013

Marking a misstep for one of the world's top stars, Will Smith's sci-fi adventure After Earth narrowly lost to magician heist pic Now You See Me in one of the most surprising box office battles in recent memory.

Sony's After Earth, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, took in $27 million in its North American debut, compared to $28.1 million for Now You See Me, from Summit Entertainment.

Universal's Fast & Furious 6 beat both films to stay at No. 1 in its second weekend, declining 65 percent to $34.5 million for a stellar domestic cume of $170.3 million. The action pic earned another $75 million overseas for a dazzling worldwide total of $480.6 million.

Heading into the weekend, After Earth was expected to easily outpace Now You See Me with a $35 million to $40 million opening, still one of the lowest numbers for a summer film starring Smith, but in line with Tom Cruise's sci-fi adventure Oblivion.