Ben Affleck\'s \'Argo,\' With Strong Reviews, Opens in Second Place

Warner Brothers Pictures Ben Affleck in a scene from “Argo.”

Movies that appeal primarily to older adults rarely rocket out of the box office starting gate - graying patrons don't much care for crowds or you-must-go-right-this-minute marketing pressure - and Ben Affleck's “Argo” was no exception. A suspenseful drama about the unusual rescue of six Americans during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, “Argo” managed only second place for the weekend, taking in about $20.1 million at North American movie theaters. But “Argo,” which cost Warner Brothers and GK Films about $44 million to make, is likely to stick around for the long haul given its rave reviews and rare A-plus grade from moviegoers in Cinemascor e exit polls.

A holdover, “Taken 2” (20th Century Fox), was No. 1, selling an estimated $22.5 million in tickets, for a two-week total of $86.8 million, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box-office data. Third place went to “Sinister” (Summit), a low-budget horror movie from Blumhouse Productions that took in about $18.3 million and received poor exit poll scores. “Hotel Transylvania” (Sony) clung to fourth place, selling an estimated $17.3 million in tickets, for a three-week total of $102.2 million. “Here Comes the Boom” (Sony), Kevin James's effort to become a comedic superstar who can turn out crowds on opening weekends, was feeble in its debut, placing fifth with an estimated $12 million in ticket sales; Sony spent about $44 million to make that comedy.