LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) - "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 U.S. and Canadian movie box offices.
"Gone Girl" took in $38 million over its first three days in domestic theaters, 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 $37.2 million.
Last weekend's No. 1 film, thriller "The Equalizer" starring Denzel Washington, dropped to third place. The movie collected $19 million over the weekend, bringing its cumulative domestic sales to $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."
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Chris Michaud; Editing by Abigail Fielding-Smith)