The hotly anticipated sci-fi epic 'Divergent,' which is based on Veronica Roth's best-selling novel, was the pick of the weekend by cinemagoers as it dominated the North American box office, earning the No.1 spot with $56 million.

Shailene Woodley
Shailene Woodley stars alongside Theo James in 'Divergent'

The successful weekend marks the second best opening of 2014, with 'The Lego Movie' only beating it with $69 million when released in February, and the weekend's figures also give 'Divergent' a solid launch into the future of the movies' franchise.

The plot follows a teenage girl named Beatrice "Tris" Prior (Shailene Woodley) and centers around her extraordinary circumstances, as she becomes aware that there is no one else like her.

Watch the trailer for 'Divergent' here

In a futuristic Chicago, society is split into five different sectors based on the residents personality traits- Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). But Beatrice is Divergent, meaning she does not belong to any one sector.

Divergent
'Divergent' is the latest Hollywood movie depicting a young female heroin

On the discovery of this, Tris is hunted down to be exterminated due to a sinister leader who wants absolute total control of the population. But when uncovering a plot against her perfect society, Tris needs to utilize this gift in order to save her loved ones.

To to next page to see rest of this weekend's box office results