NEW YORK (AP) - The spirits moved "Ouija" to No. 1 at the box office, with the board-game adaption leading the weekend with a $20 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The horror movie release, timed to Halloween, attracted more moviegoers at the box office than the violent Keanu Reeves thriller "John Wick." The R-rated hit-man revenge tale from Lionsgate opened with $14.2 million in second place.
Last week's top film, the Brad Pitt World War II action film "Fury," slid to third with $13 million. In two weeks, the Sony Pictures release has made $46.1 million.
Board-game adaptions such as "Ouija" have had a checkered history at the box office, with the big-budget "Battleship" - the last Hasbro game turned into a movie - famously flopping in 2012. But "Ouija," made by Blumhouse Productions and released by Universal Pictures, was made for just $5 million, and scared up moviegoers with a micro-budget summoning of brand-name occult.
Universal also could claim the top spot in the world's other top market, China, where the Scarlett Johansson sci-fi film "Lucy" opened with $19 million. Since opening in July, "Lucy" has made $434 million worldwide, proving the global appeal of Johansson.
Two Fox releases rounded out the domestic top five. David Fincher's marital noir "Gone Girl," starring Ben Affleck, made $11.1 million in its fourth week, bringing its cumulative total to $124 million. It will soon pass Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" ($127.5 million) to mark the director's top box office hit.
In its second week of release, the animated fantasy "The Book of Life" earned $9.8 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, the latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
"Ouija," $20 million ($1.3 million international).
"John Wick," $14.2 million.
"Fury," $13 million ($11.2 million international).
"Gone Girl," $11.1 million ($18.4 million international).
"The Book of Life," $9.8 million ($7.8 million international).
"St. Vincent," $8.1 million.
"Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day," $7 million ($2.5 million international).
"The Best of Me," $4.7 million.
"The Judge," $4.3 million ($6.9 million international).
"Dracula Untold," $4.3 million ($14.7 million international).