'Takers' wins box office race after all!

It was a race too close to call yesterday, but today's actuals show that "Takers" took the No. 1 spot at the North american box office this weekend after all. "The Last Exorcism" debuted in solid second place.

Essentially, "Takers" grabbed $20.5 million via an average of $9,298 per theater at 2,206 locations, while "The Last Exorcism" only bagged $20.3 million (average of $7,087 per theater at 2,874 sites).

It doesn't really matter what film took the crown, but what surprised me is that both low-budget flicks managed to pull quite an audience this late in the summer season. I can't but applaud both films.

Looking ahead, this week's competition includes "The American," "Going the Distance" and "Machete." I just hope "Machete" brings in a bunch of moola. It's time for Robert Rodriguez to get started on the sequel.