LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (REUTERS) - Gone Girl, a thriller starring Ben Affleck as a man suspected of causing his wife's disappearance, overcame a demonic porcelain doll named Annabelle to win a tight weekend race at U.S. and Canadian movie box offices.

Gone Girl took in US$38 million (S$48.7 million) over its first three days in domestic theatres, according to estimates on Sunday by tracking firm Rentrak.

Horror flick Annabelle, a spin-off from 2013 hit The Conjuring, ranked a close second with US$37.2 million.

Last weekend's No. 1 film, thriller The Equalizer starring Denzel Washington, dropped to third place. The movie collected US$19 million over the weekend, bringing its cumulative domestic sales to US$64.5 million.