'The Town' takes No. 1 spot in weekend box office

"The Town" is the talk of the weekend box office, opening with $23.8 million to take the No. 1 spot, according to estimates reported Sunday by The Associated Press.

The bank heist drama is the second movie directed by Ben Affleck, who stars with Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm and Chris Cooper. It was a crowded field this weekend as the fall film season began, but Dan Fellman of Warner Bros. said everything came together for "The Town" over the past 10 days, including success at the Toronto film fest. "Ben Affleck is taking a page right out of the Clint Eastwood handbook," said Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com. "He was known for being an actor but he's very quickly gaining a reputation as a first-class director."