The Samuel L. Jackson thriller “Lakeview Terrace” took the top spot at theaters for the weekend ending September 21, generating $15.6 million, according to studio estimates from box office tracking firm Nielsen EDI. The film is about an LAPD officer (Jackson) who will stop at nothing to force out the interracial couple who moved in next door.

The Coen brothers’ dark comedy “Burn After Reading” slipped from the top spot to Number Two with a take of $11.3 million, which raised the film’s total to $36.4 million. Several new films made their debuts this weekend. The Kate Hudson-Dane Cook romantic comedy “My Best Friend’s Girl” was third with $8.3 million, while the family film “Igor” was fourth with $8 million. “Igor” is an animated fable about a hunchbacked evil scientist’s assistant who aspires to become a scientist himself.

The Robert De Niro-Al Pacino cop drama “Righteous Kill” rounded out the top five with $7.7 million, bringing its two-week total to $28.8 million. The film tracks two veteran New York City detectives who work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago.

Another premiere this weekend, Ricky Gervais’s supernatural comedy “Ghost Town,” brought in $5.2 million, good for eighth place.

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Box Office Grosses
Week Ending September 21, 2008

Rank Title Weekend Total Gross
1 Lakeview Terrace (2008) $15.6M $15.6M
2 Burn After Reading (2008) $11.3M $36.4M
3 My Best Friend’s Girl (2008) $8.3M $8.3M
4 Igor (2008) $8.01M $8.01M
5 Righteous Kill (2008) $7.7M $28.8M
6 The Family That Preys (2008) $7.5M $28.4M
7 The Women (2008/I) $5.31M $19.2M
8 Ghost Town (2008/II) $5.17M $5.17M
9 The Dark Knight (2008) $2.95M $522M
10 The House Bunny (2008) $2.8M $45.7M

Source: IMDB.com