LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - 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 $13 million respectively at U.S. and Canadian box offices.
The gritty "End of Watch," written and directed by the writer of 2001 crime drama "Training Day," David Ayer, brought in $13 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices.
"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.
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.
The close finish among the top three films was a reflection that the broad slate of new releases, which each targeted a different demographic, divided up the movie-going audience.
Futuristic action film "Dredd" disappointed with a mere $6.3 million on its debut weekend, failing to crack the top five.
Warner Brothers, a unit of Time Warner, released "Trouble with the Curve." Relativity Media released "House at the End of the Street." Open Road Films, a joint venture of the AMC and Regal theater chains, released "End of Watch."
Sony Corp's movie studio released "Resident Evil." "Dredd" was released by Lions Gate.
(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)