Denzel Washington thriller "Safe House" sets itself atop of Box office last weekend in its second week, as it earned a total gross of $24.0 million at North America (U.S. and Canada) theaters, leaving the second place to the romantic drama "The Vow". The movie earned an average of $7,680 from 3,121 theaters, according to studio estimates compiled by Reuters.

Starring Washington as a fugitive on the run with a rookie CIA operative played by Ryan Reynolds. Privately held Relativity Media helped finance the film.

Close behind "Safe House" was last weekend's winner, "The Vow", with $23.6 million domestically from Friday through Sunday, or an average of $7,978 at 2,958 locations. Ticket sales were projected to reach $27.4 million through Monday. The romantic drama stars Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum in the story of a man who must win back his wife's heart after she loses her memory in a car crash. Spyglass Entertainment co-financed the film, which has brought in an estimated $108.3 million around the world since its release.

The weekend's strongest new release was third-place "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," the Nicolas Cage 3-D movie. It opened with $22.0 million domestically for three days and was poised to reach $25.5 million through Monday. The per-theater average was $6,931 on 3,174 screens.

In fourth place, family film "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson rung up $20.1 million through Sunday. New romantic comedy "This Means War" starring Reese Witherspoon took fifth place with an estimated $17.6 million. Sales estimates through Monday were not immediately available for "Journey 2" and "This Means War."

The weekend's other new release, Disney animated film "The Secret World of Arrietty," brought in $6.4 million to land in ninth place. The movie about a family of tiny people who live under the floorboards of a country home was expected to reach $8.0 million through Monday.