Ben Affleck's 'The Town' takes box office lead

Ben Affleck's excellent drama "The Town" debuted at No. 1 at the North American box office Friday with $8.3 million in ticket sales, according to estimates. That's quite the solid launch for the Warner Bros. title.

"The Town," which stars Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner and Jon Hamm, scored an average of $2,929 per theater at 2,861 sites. It tells the story of a bank robber who falls for one of his recent hostages.

Following in second place with $6.8 million was Will Gluck's teen comedy "Easy A," which debuted with an average of $2,381 per theater at 2,856 locations. The flick stars Emma Stone and Amanda Bynes.

Meanwhile, Universal's horror flick "Devil" finished third after pulling a one-day gross of $4.9 million. Produced by M. Night Shyamalan, the film follows what happens to a bunch of people trapped in an elevator.

Last week's winner "Resident Evil: Afterlife" slipped to No. 4, earning $3 million for a total gross of $36.8 million. New entry "Alpha and Omega" followed at No. 5 with a disappointing gross of $2.3 million.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)