LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brad Pitt's gritty World War Two drama "Fury" conquered all box office foes over the weekend, ringing up $23.5 million in ticket sales at theaters in the United States and Canada.
"Fury" kicked two-time box office leader "Gone Girl" into second place, with the thriller, which stars Ben Affleck, collecting $17.8 million from Friday through Sunday, according to data from tracking firm Rentrak.
Animated movie "The Book of Life" earned the No. 3 spot, with a debut of $17 million.
In "Fury", Pitt plays a hardened war veteran who leads men overcome by fatigue and traveling by tank in Nazi Germany during the final months of World War II. Actors Shia LaBeouf, Jon Bernthal, Michael Pena and Logan Lerman also star in the film.
"Gone Girl", the big-screen adaptation of a best-selling book, features Affleck as a writer who becomes a suspect when his wife disappears.
"The Book of Life" draws on Mexican art and wooden puppets to animate a colorful love story rooted in the Mexican Day of the Dead festivities. It follows childhood friends Manolo (Diego Luna), Joaquin (Channing Tatum) and Maria (Zoe Saldana).
Sony Corp's movie studio released "Fury". "Gone Girl" and "Book of Life" were released by 20th Century Fox, the movie studio owned by 21st Century Fox.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Chris Michaud; Editing by Crispian Balmer)