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'The Perfect Guy' tops box office with Shyamalan's 'The Visit' close behind

The thriller 'The Perfect Guy,' which stars Michael Ealy and Sanaa Lathan, came in first place at the box office, while the horror movie 'The Visit' was close behind and 'War Room' fell to third place behind the new releases.

The thriller 鈥淭he Perfect Guy鈥� came in first place at the box office over the weekend, while the new M. Night Shyamalan horror movie 鈥淭he Visit鈥� placed second.

鈥淧erfect鈥� stars Michael Ealy of 鈥淭he Following鈥� and 鈥淭he Best Man Holiday鈥� actress Sanaa Lathan and centers on a woman who begins dating a normal-seeming person who quickly reveals himself to be far from what he seemed.聽

The movie grossed more than $26 million at the domestic box office. Close on its heels was Shyamalan鈥檚 film 鈥淭he Visit,鈥� which grossed more than $25 million at the domestic box office. The new movie by the director of 鈥淭he Sixth Sense鈥� tells the story of children who go stay with their grandparents and soon encounter strange behavior from their relatives and spooky situations.聽

The movie 鈥淲ar Room,鈥� which follows a couple who decide to work on their marriage through prayer, grossed more than $7 million at the domestic box office. 鈥淲ar鈥� came in first at the box office last weekend, bumping the biopic 鈥淪traight Outta Compton鈥� from first place.聽

Meanwhile, the movie 鈥淎 Walk in the Woods,鈥� which is based on the Appalachian Trail memoir of the same name by Bill Bryson, came in fourth at this weekend鈥檚 box office with a gross of more than $4 million and 鈥淢ission: Impossible 鈥� Rogue Nation鈥� came in fifth, grossing more than $4 million as well.

September can be a sleepy month at the box office, with the high-profile summer movie season having recently concluded. But under-the-radar releases can become hits by opening during this traditionally quiet time. Last year, the young adult book adaptation 鈥淭he Maze Runner鈥� did well enough after opening on Sept. 19 that a sequel is now being released later this month, 鈥淢aze Runner: The Scorch Trials.鈥�

Similarly, the thriller 鈥淣o Good Deed,鈥� which stars Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson, did fairly well at the box office after opening right around this same time last year. The Denzel Washington action movie 鈥淭he Equalizer鈥� became a big hit after opening later in September 2014. These movies could have gotten lost if they鈥檇 opened later in the year, such as in November, where more blockbuster and high-profile Oscar contenders are released, or earlier in the year, during the busy summer months. The slot doesn鈥檛 work for every movie, of course 鈥� last year鈥檚 action movie 鈥淎 Walk Among the Tombstones,鈥� which stars Liam Neeson, opened in September 2014 but did not perform well. However, for other films, a lack of competition can makes these movies stand out.