Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The Coen brothers comedy ``Burn After Reading'' opened as the top film in U.S. and Canadian theaters this weekend, taking in $19.4 million for NBC Universal.

The movie edged out three other new releases. Tyler Perry's ``The Family That Preys'' was second with $18 million, box- office tracker Media By Numbers LLC said today in an e-mailed statement. ``Righteous Kill,'' starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, was third with $16.5 million, and ``The Women'' was fourth with $10.1 million.

Industry sales rose for the first time since the weekend of July 18, when the Batman film ``The Dark Knight'' debuted with a record $158.4 million. The top 12 films grossed $86.6 million, up 72 percent from last weekend and 35 percent more than a year ago. August and September typically are slow for Hollywood because studios hold more promising movies for the holiday season.

``This particular combination of films is what the industry needed to break this downtrend,'' Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers, said today in a telephone interview. ``It shows a lot of courage by these studios to put their films up against these other movies on the same weekend. The strategy definitely paid off.''

`Righteous Kill'

``Burn After Reading,'' from directors Joel and Ethan Coen, stars Brad Pitt as a fitness instructor who accidentally gets hold of an ex-spy's memoirs. George Clooney, Frances McDormand and John Malkovich co-star. The film is the Coen's first since the Oscar-winning ``No Country for Old Men'' was released in 2007.

``Audiences love the Coen brothers,'' Dergarabedian said. ``They're a very singular voice. In the Hollywood creative community, everyone wants to work with them.''

``The Family That Preys Together'' is Perry's seventh film for Lions Gate. The movie follows two matriarchs, one black and the other white, who must guide their families through a series of crises. The film stars Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates. Perry, who wrote, directed and produced the movie, also takes a co- starring role.

In third place's ``Righteous Kill,'' De Niro and Pacino play veteran police officers called on to investigate a serial killer who targets criminals. The movie from independent distributor Overture Films co-stars Donnie Wahlberg.

`Bangkok Dangerous'

``The Women'' focuses on a group of New York women who struggle to maintain friendships amid personal and professional dilemmas. The film is based on the 1939 movie and Clare Boothe Luce's stage play. Meg Ryan and Annette Bening lead a cast that also includes Debra Messing and Jada Pinkett-Smith.

In fifth place was ``The House Bunny'' from Sony Corp. with $4.3 million.

Rounding out the top 10 in sixth through 10th places, respectively, were: Viacom Inc.'s ``Tropic Thunder,'' the comedy starring Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr., which dropped to sixth from second with $4.18 million; ``The Dark Knight,'' starring Christian Bale as Batman and Heath Ledger as the Joker, which dropped to seventh place from fourth with $4 million; ``Bangkok Dangerous'' which dropped to eighth from first with receipts totaling $2.4 million; ``Traitor'' from Overture Films was ninth with $2.13 million; and ``Death Race'' from Universal Pictures in 10th place with $2.02 million.

For the year, box-office sales were $6.87 billion, little changed from a year earlier, Encino, California-based Media By Numbers said. Year-to-date attendance has dropped 4.6 percent.

The following table has figures provided by studios to Media By Numbers. The amounts are based on gross ticket sales from Sept. 12, yesterday and estimates for today.

Movie                 Rev.  Theaters  Wks   Avg./    Pct.  Total
                     (mln)                 Theater   Chg.  (mln)
1.  Burn After Reading $19.4   2,651   1    $7,319   --    $19.4
2.  Family That Preys   18.0   2,070   1     8,705   --     18.0
3.  Righteous Kill      16.5   3,152   1     5,235   --     16.5
4.  The Women           10.1   2,962   1     3,406   --     10.1
5.  The House Bunny      4.3   2,763   4     1,556   -22    42.2
6.  Tropic Thunder       4.2   2,927   5     1,428   -42   103.0
7.  The Dark Knight      4.0   2,191   9     1,832   -27   571.7
8.  Bangkok Dangerous    2.4   2,650   2       906   -69    12.5
9.  Traitor              2.1   2,014   3     1,059   -50    20.7
10. Death Race           2.0   2,007   4     1,005   -46    33.2

To contact the reporters on this story: Michael White in Los Angeles at mwhite8@bloomberg.net; Gillian Wee in New York at gwee3@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 14, 2008 13:35 EDT