Police drama "End of Watch" and horror thriller "House at the End of the Street" tied for the top spot at the North American box office this weekend, with Clint Eastwood's "Trouble With the Curve" close behind.
Each of the top films brought in roughly 13 million dollars (USD) respectively at U.S. and Canadian box offices.
The gritty "End of Watch" opening was the largest ever for the independent film distribution company Open Road, a 2-year-old joint venture between theater chains AMC and Regal.
The studio said "End of Watch" was successful because it appealed to a wide swath of moviegoers.
"House at the End of the Street," which features Jennifer Lawrence in her first role since this year's blockbuster "The Hunger Games," also brought in 13 million.
The timing of horror thriller's release capitalized on Lawrence's "Hunger Games" fame. The film primarily targeted young females and did a large share of marketing through mobile-phone-based applications.
Baseball movie "Trouble with the Curve" was hot on the heels of the top films, taking in 12.7 million, according to box office estimates released on Sunday. The film is Clint Eastwood's first starring role in four years and comes less than a month after his headline-grabbing speech at the Republican national convention.
Rounding out the top five was the 3D re-release of "Finding Nemo" with 9.4 million, and "Resident Evil: Retribution" with 6.7 million. Both films premiered in theaters last weekend.
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