‘Gone Girl’ tops ‘Annabelle’ in tight race at weekend box office

By Derrik J. Lang

LOS ANGELES – “Annabelle” couldn’t scare off “Gone Girl” at the weekend box office.

The Fox thriller starring Ben Affleck as a writer whose wife goes missing overcame the Warner Bros. possessed doll horror with $38 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

“Gone Girl” is based on the bestselling novel by Gillian Flynn and was directed by David Fincher.

“Annabelle” debuted closely behind “Gone Girl” with $37.2 million. The film centres on the creepy porcelain plaything featured in last year’s haunted house horror “The Conjuring.”

Sony’s revenge thriller “The Equalizer” starring Denzel Washington came in third place in its second weekend with $19 million.

(The Associated Press)