Ben Affleck's 'Gone Girl' snatches box office title

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK - "Gone Girl," a thriller starring Ben Affleck as a man suspected of causing his wife's disappearance, overcame a demonic porcelain doll named "Annabelle" to win a tight weekend race at US and Canadian movie box offices.

"Gone Girl" took in US$38 million (S$48.64 million) over its first three days in domestic theatres, according to estimates on Sunday by tracking firm Rentrak. Horror flick "Annabelle," a spin-off from 2013 hit "The Conjuring," ranked a close second with US$37.2 million.

Last weekend's No. 1 film, thriller "The Equalizer" starring Denzel Washington, dropped to third place. The movie collected US$19 million over the weekend, bringing its cumulative domestic sales to US$64.5 million.

"Gone Girl" was released by 20th Century Fox, the movie studio owned by 21st Century Fox. Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros. distributed "Annabelle." Sony Corp's movie studio released "The Equalizer."