'The Last Exorcism' takes lead at Box Office

The fright flick The Last Exorcism and the heist thriller Takers were in a photo finish for the top spot at the weekend box office. Lionsgate's The Last Exorcism had a thin lead with a $21.3 million debut, closely followed by Sony's Takers with a $21 million opening. They were close enough that rankings could change after final numbers are released today. Both The Last Exorcism and Takers debuted well above studio expectations, although the openings were modest compared with most big summer debuts. Overall revenues came in at $115 million, down 8 percent compared with the same weekend last year, when the horror tale The Final Destination opened on top with $27.4 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com. The Last Exorcism, about an exorcist trying to cast out a demon from a teenager, cost just $2 million to produce, and Lionsgate bought domestic distribution rights for less than $1 million. Takers, which cost a modest $32 million to make, features T.I., Matt Dillon, Hayden Christensen, Paul Walker and Idris Elba in a thriller about bank robbers pursued by a tough cop.