'Taken 2' beats 'Argo' to top box office

Liam Neeson's "Taken 2" has defended its box-office title with a narrow win over Ben Affleck's "Argo." Sunday's studio estimates put 20th Century Fox's action sequel "Taken 2" at No. 1 with $22.5 million in its second weekend, The Associated Press reports.

Affleck's "Argo," an Iranian hostage thriller from Warner Bros., opened in second place with $20.1 million.

The follow-up to "Taken," the hit that established dramatic star Neeson as an action hero, "Taken 2" was dinged by critics who called it a replay of the original. The sequel has Neeson's ex-CIA guy up against a gang of Albanian goons out for revenge for their kin that he killed in the first movie.