'Taken 2' Trumps 'Argo' in Close Box Office Weekend

(AP) LOS ANGELES – Liam Neeson’s “Taken 2” has defended its box-office title with a narrow win over Ben Affleck’s “Argo.”

Sunday studio estimates put 20th Century Fox’s action sequel “Taken 2” at No. 1 with $22.5 million in its second weekend. “Taken 2” raised its domestic total to $86.8 million.

Affleck’s “Argo,” an Iranian hostage thriller from Warner Bros., opened in second-place with $20.1 million.

Ethan Hawke’s fright flick “Sinister,” a Lionsgate release about a true-crime writer caught up in supernatural horror, debuted at No. 3 with $18.3 million.

Sony’s “Here Comes the Boom,” with Kevin James as a teacher who becomes a mixed martial arts sensation, started weakly at No. 5 with $12 million.