Denzel Washington thriller Safe House rose to the No. 1 spot at the box office through Sunday, narrowly leading love story The Vow over a long holiday weekend in the US.

Safe House took in $24.0 million at North American theaters from Friday through Sunday, taking the top slot. The movie earned an average of $7,680 from 3,121 theaters, according to studio estimates compiled by Reuters.

Distributor Universal Pictures projected Safe House would gross $28.5 million domestically through Monday, the US Presidents Day holiday. Also on Monday, the film's global sales to date were expected to cross $100 million.

The movie stars Washington as a fugitive on the run with a rookie CIA operative played by Ryan Reynolds.

Close behind Safe House was last weekend's winner, The Vow, with $23.6 million from Friday through Sunday, or an average of $7,978 at 2,958 locations. Ticket sales were projected to reach $27.4 million through Monday.

Reuters