AceShowbiz -

Joel and Ethan Coen's drama comedy "Burn After Reading" has led the North American box office's pack. Claiming the coveted #1 position, the Focus Features film helps to bring an end to the seven consecutive super-slow weekends following the superb opening of "The Dark Knight" and marks a rebound from last week's worst weekend sales in five years.

With $19.1 million, the George Clooney and Brad Pitt-starrer flick has become the best movie debut ever for the filmmakers brothers. Their previous movies to open above the $10 million milestone are 2004's comedy starring Tom Hanks, "Ladykillers" with $12.6 million opening and 2003's Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones-starrer "Intolerable Cruelty" with $12.5 million debut.

The success of "Burn" comes after the writer/director duo garnered four Academy Awards for their latest crime drama "No Country for Old Men". Focus distribution president Jack Foley points out that one of the factors leading to "Burn" flourish is the star-studded cast. He further comments, "The Coens have broken into more commercial territory with this film. They've become more of a household name."

On other box office report, the top five is dominated by newly-released flicks. Apart from "Burn", the other top three films sitting comfortably on the chart are "The Family That Preys", "Righteous Kill" and "The Women" in respective order. Tyler Perry's "Family" follows "Burn" tightly grossing about two million less at $17.4 million.

"Righteous" pulls in $16.3 million, while "Women" rakes in $10.1 million. Rounding up the top five is Columbia Pictures comedy "Tropic Thunder". Managed to stay on the top list in its fourth weekend showing, the Ben Stiller-starrer movie collects another $4.2 million to the total of nearly $103 million.