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Ryan Reynolds' action tale Safe House topped the weekend box office in the US.
The movie - which sees Reynolds playing a young CIA agent tasked with looking after a fugitive played by Denzel Washington - took in 24 million dollars to clinch the No 1 spot, according to studio estimates on Sunday.
It had just a slim lead over Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum's love story The Vow, which raked in 23.6 million.
The winner won't be known for certain until Tuesday, when studios will report final numbers for the President's Day holiday weekend.
Nicolas Cage's sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance, which sees the actor reprise his Marvel Comics role as Satan's bounty hunter, opened in third place with 22 million, followed by Dwayne Johnson's family action tale Journey 2: The Mysterious Island in fourth place.
Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon's spy comedy, This Means War, debuted at No 5 with 17.6 million dollars.
