'Safe House' tops weekend box office with $24m sales

New York, Feb 20 (ANI): Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds' starrer 'Safe House' had slim lead at the box office during the President's Day weekend with 24 million dollars.

That put it a fraction ahead of Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum's 'The Vow' with 23.6 illion dollars.he winner won't be known for certain until Tuesday, when studios report final numbers for the ong holiday weekend.

They often vary from weekend projections, which include estimates for the size of Sunday's udiences.

No matter which one finishes on top, the movie business remains unusually brisk for winter, ypically a slow season at theaters.

The business uptick comes after Hollywood lumbered through a humdrum holiday season at the nd of last year, when audiences were apathetic about most new releases.

"I still think people don't want to stay home, and if you give them good choices, you get them ut," the New York Post quoted said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal Pictures, hich released 'Safe House', as saying.

The top-five movies were bunched up tightly, with Nicolas Cage's sequel 'Ghost Rider: Spirit of engeance' opening close at No 3 with 22 million dollars.

Dwayne Johnson's family action tale 'Journey 2: The Mysterious Island' was No 4 with 20.1 illion dollars and Reese Witherspoon's love-triangle comedy 'This Means War' debuted at o. 5 with 17.6 million dollars.

The Top 10 movies at the box office during the weekend were:

1. Safe House - 24 million dollars

2. The Vow - 23.6 million dollars

3. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - 22 million dollars

4. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island - 20.1 million dollars

5. This Means War ? 17.6 million dollars

6. Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace in 3-D, - 7.9 million dollars

7. Chronicle - 7.5 million dollars

8. The Woman in Black - 6.6 million dollars

9. The Secret World of Arrietty - 6.4 million dollars

10. The Grey- 3 million dollars (ANI)