The American Tops Weekend Box Office

by KYW's Bill Wine-

George Clooney as a hit man may not have made his new movie a big hit, but his star power certainly helped the suspense drama win its first weekend.

Clooney's The American, which opened on Wednesday, earned an estimated $13 million over its initial weekend of release, a modest first-place take, to be sure, but not bad for the typically slow Labor Day weekend.

The action holdover, Takers, took second with just over $11 million.

That placed it in a virtual tie with the new action thriller, Machete, which also debuted with just over $11million.

The weekend's other new mainstream release, Going the Distance, the romantic comedy teaming Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, took in a disappointing $7 million, good for sixth place.

Overall, it was a relatively quiet weekend at the nation's multiplexes, as expected, as the summer movie season ended with a traditional whimper.