"End of Watch" claimed box office bragging rights for the weekend, as final numbers released Monday showed the gritty police drama from Open Road Films took in $13.2 million over the three days.
That gave it the edge over Relativity's Jennifer Lawrence thriller "House at the End of the Street," which wound up with $12.2 million. On Sunday, the two films were in a virtual tie for the top box office spot with both studios estimating a total of $13 million. But only "End of Watch" made that figure.
Warner Bros. Clint Eastwood's baseball movie "Trouble With the Curve" finished with $12.1 million, which was under the $12.7 million the studio had estimated Sunday.
Also read: Gyllenhaal & Peña: A Dangerous Good Cop/Good Cop Relationship in 'End of Watch'
David Ayer, who wrote the screenplay for 2001's "Training Day,' wrote and directed the R-rated "End of Watch." It stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena as young LAPD officers who are marked for death after confiscating money and guns from drug cartel members during a routine traffic stop.
Industry analysts had "End of Watch" coming in third prior to the weekend, and Open Road said it was pointing for an $8 million opening, so the numbers are a pleasant surprise. The indie distributor paid about $2 million for the movie, which was financed and produced by Exclusive Media for around $7 million.
Word of mouth looks to have been a factor. The film was well-reviewed and moviegoers gave it an "A-" CinemaScore.
For the Record: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that Open Road paid $7 million to acquire "End of Watch." It paid about $2 million for the film, which had a $7 million production budget.