LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Thriller "No Good Deed," the story of an escaped convict who terrorizes a woman and her children inside their home, seized the top spot on U.S. and Canadian box office charts over the weekend, beating family friendly sequel "Dolphin Tale 2."
"No Good Deed" collected $24.5 million in domestic ticket sales from Friday through Sunday, according to estimates from tracking firm Rentrak. "Dolphin Tale 2," the sequel to a 2011 hit about a plucky marine mammal, finished second with $16.6 million.
Last weekend's winner, Marvel's hit space adventure "Guardians of the Galaxy," dropped to third place with $8 million at domestic theaters.
"No Good Deed" stars Idris Elba as an escaped prisoner who terrorizes a mother and her two children after he shows up at their suburban Atlanta home claiming car trouble. Taraji P. Henson plays the mother.
"Dolphin Tale 2" is a follow-up to a 2011 hit about the real-life rehabilitation of a dolphin named Winter that lost its tail in a crab trap. In the sequel, the team that saved Winter seeks a new companion for her after her surrogate mother dies.
"Guardians of the Galaxy" features Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana as leaders of a group of oddball warriors including a machine gun-firing raccoon.
"Dolphin Tale 2" was released by Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc. Sony Corp's movie studio released "No Good Deed." Walt Disney Co distributed "Guardians of the Galaxy."
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Andrea Burzynski; editing by Ralph Boulton)