2 Guns beats The Wolverine at the American box office

2 Guns starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg

Universal action flick 2 Guns is number one at the American box office this weekend.

The film starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg pulled the trigger to capture the top spot with $27.4 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

2 Guns is based on a graphic novel of the same name and features Washington as a DEA agent and Wahlberg as a Naval Intelligence officer who must team up for an undercover operation involving drug traffickers and the CIA.

Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, said 2 Guns opened at the studio's expectations and attributed the film's success to Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur and the first-time pairing of Washington and Wahlberg.

"It was super casting," she said. "There was remarkable chemistry. The two of them work so well together. You see it on screen. Baltasar really gave them the energy to be able to do what they did in this film."

Fox's Japan-set superhero flick The Wolverine starring Hugh Jackman as the clawed warrior scratched out the No. 2 spot with $21.7 million in its second weekend, bringing the Marvel icon's total domestic haul to $95 million.

The Smurfs 2 launched in the No. 3 position with $18.2 million. While Sony's kid-friendly computer-generated sequel based on the blue-hued cartoon franchise debuted below expectations in North America, Smurfs 2 earned $52.5 million in 43 international markets.

"It is one of those films that seems to resonate on every continent," said Rory Bruer, Sony's president of worldwide distribution. "We have about 36 big territories to go, including China. They love the blue ones."

The Warner Bros. haunted house tale The Conjuring crossed the $100 million mark at No. 4 after exorcising $13.7 million in its third weekend.

Elsewhere at the box office, Sundance Film Festival favorite The Spectacular Now starring Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley earned $190,000 in four cinemas in its debut weekend, while The Canyons made just $16,000 at two cinemas, though Canyons distributor IFC Films said the erotic thriller starring Lindsay Lohan is performing strongly through video-on-demand services.

Other smaller films continued to perform solidly at the box office, including Sundance winner Fruitvale Station with $2.7 million in 1,086 theatres and director Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine with $2 million in 50 theatres.

"Summer is not just about blockbusters," said Paul Dergarabedian of box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "It's also about Woody Allen. It's about specialised films that challenge the audience — or are just different from the traditional, cookie-cutter, summer-style movie."

Overall ticket sales this weekend were up more than 15 percent over the same weekend last summer, Dergarabedian said.

1. "2 Guns,"$27.4 million.

2. "The Wolverine," $21.7 million.

3. "The Smurfs 2," $18.2 million.

4. "The Conjuring," $13.7 million.

5. "Despicable Me 2," $10.4 million.

6. "Grown Ups 2," $8.1 million.

7. "Turbo," $6.4 million.

8. "Red 2," $5.6 million.

9. "The Heat," $4.7 million.

10. "Pacific Rim," $4.6 million.

AP