Box Office, Argo | featured news

Acclaimed Iran hostage drama "Argo" took home its first box office win over the weekend, grabbing $12.4 million in ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters.

The box office forecast for "Cloud Atlas" is looking quite dreary, according to early estimates. "Atlas," directed by the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer, has a decent shot at topping the crowded pre-Halloween weekend, but the adventure-fantasy, which cost over $100 million, is on track for a chilly $13 million debut in the U.S.

Liam Neeson's "Taken 2" has defended its box-office title with a narrow win over Ben Affleck's "Argo." Sunday studio estimates put 20th Century Fox's action sequel "Taken 2" at No. 1 with $22.5 million in its second weekend. "Taken 2" raised its domestic total to $86.8 million.

Kevin James comedy "Here Comes the Boom" is soft; "Atlas Shrugged: Part 2" hasn't yet galvanized conservative moviegoers. Summit Entertainment's microbudgeted horror pic Sinister stole the show at the Friday box office, grossing $7.5 million and beating holdover Taken 2 and Ben Affleck's new political thriller Argo.