LOS ANGELES, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Liam Neeson has flexed his muscle again as his "Taken" sequel successfully held off Ben Affleck's "Argo" and was well on the way to win the box office derby for second consecutive weekend.
"Taken 2" is projected to take in 22.5 million U.S. dollars this weekend, and is on track for a two-week running total of 86.7 million dollars, the distributor 20th Century Fox said. The R- rated thriller was now being shown on 3,706 screens, 45 more than last weekend.
Five debutants finished in the pack of top 10 most popular films in North America over the three-day weekend.
"Argo," a Warner Bros. political thriller written and directed by Ben Affleck, trailed "Taken 2" to roll up 20.1 million dollars. Hitting 3,232 screens in the United States and Canada, the flick received an "A+" CinemaScore from moviegoers who saw it. Distributor Warner Bros. hopes this will support it in the coming weeks.
Lionsgate thriller "Sinister" finished in the third place with 18.3 million dollars in ticket sales. The micro-budget supernatural horror thriller, which was made on 3 million dollars, has hit 2,527 screens and it received a "C" CinemaScore from audience. The film stars Ethan Hawke who plays a crime writer who discovers a box of home movies that put his family in danger.
"Hotel Transylvania," an animated kids film released by Sony, showed strong staying power during the third weekend in exhibition, roping in 17.3 million dollars to take the 4th finish. It is on track for a 102.2 million dollar three-week gross.
The third debutant of the weekend, "Here Comes The Boom," opened in fifth place with a 12 million dollar gate. Audiences gave the Sony sports comedy an "A" CinemaScore.
The fourth film which made its box office debut in North America is CBS Films' "Seven Psychopaths." Screening in 1,480 venues, the actioner-comedy raked in 4.3 million dollars to finish in No. 9. Moviegoers under 25 years old gave it an "A-" CinemaScore.
The other premiere of the weekend is sci-fi drama "Atlas Struggled: Part 2," finishing in No. 11 with a 1.7 million dollar opener.
