‘Takers’ Pulls A Fast One; Snags Box Office Crown From ‘Last Exorcism’

The heist thriller “Takers” has stolen the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office away from the fright flick “The Last Exorcism.”

“Takers” debuted with $20.5 million to grab to grab a narrow win over “The Last Exorcism,” which opened in second-place with $20.4 million, according to final studio numbers Monday.

Based on studio estimates a day earlier, “The Last Exorcism” had a thin lead over “Takers.” But the movies switched places once final weekend numbers were released.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:

1. “Takers,” Sony Screen Gems, $20,512,304, 2,206 locations, $9,298 average, $20,512,304, one week.

2. “The Last Exorcism,” Lionsgate, $20,366,613, 2,874 locations, $7,087 average, $20,366,613, one week.

3. “The Expendables,” Lionsgate, $9,527,937, 3,398 locations, $2,804 average, $82,040,183, three weeks.

4. “Eat Pray Love,” Sony, $6,815,555, 3,108 locations, $2,193 average, $60,531,326, three weeks.

5. “The Other Guys,” Sony, $6,285,712, 3,181 locations, $1,976 average, $99,018,172, four weeks.

6. “Vampires Suck,” Fox, $5,221,780, 3,233 locations, $1,615 average, $27,834,256, two weeks.

7. “Inception,” Warner Bros., $4,876,356, 2,070 locations, $2,356 average, $270,519,920,seven weeks.

8. “Nanny McPhee Returns,” Universal, $4,714,215, 2,798 locations, $1,685 average, $16,991,285, two weeks.

9. “The Switch,” Miramax, $4,583,481, 2,017 locations, $2,272 average, $14,831,771, two weeks.

10. “Piranha 3D,” Weinstein Co., $4,302,878, 2,491 locations, $1,727 average, $18,266,889, two weeks.

11. “Avatar,” Fox, $4,007,750, 812 locations, $4,936 average, $753,773,889, one week.

12. “Lottery Ticket,” Warner Bros., $3,854,303, 1,973 locations, $1,954 average, $17,284,641, two weeks.

13. “Despicable Me,” Universal, $2,859,680, 1,833 locations, $1,560 average, $30,749,875, eight weeks.

14. “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” Universal, $2,505,555, 1,566 locations, $1,600 average, $26,166,945, three weeks.

15. “Salt,” Sony, $1,883,890, 1,168 locations, $1,613 average, $113,260,644, six weeks.

16. “Dinner For Schmucks,” Paramount, $1,779,540, 1,501 locations, $1,186 average, $69,204,372, five weeks.

17. “Step Up 3D,” Disney, $1,227,816, 901 locations, $1,363 average, $39,715,304, four weeks.

18. “Toy Story 3,” Disney, $1,010,710, 600 locations, $1,685 average, $405,659,221, 11 weeks.

19. “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore,” Warner Bros., $675,231, 823 locations, $820 average, $41,279,244, five weeks.

20. “The Kids Are All Right,” Focus, $522,172, 342 locations, $1,527 average, $19,149,701, eight weeks.