The Warner Bros. thriller from director and star Ben Affleck, was inspired by the real-life rescue of 6 U.S. embassy workers during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.
It made nearly $12.4 million in ticket sales this weekend, after being in second place for the past two weeks. It has now made about $60.8 million total.
"Hotel Transylvania" came in second with $9.5 million, star-studded "Cloud Atlas" debuted in the No. 3 spot with $9.4 million, horror flick "Paranormal Activity 4" came in fourth and "Silent Hill: Revelation 3-D" and "Taken 2" tied for fifth place with $8 million each.
The top 10 films of the weekend:
1. "Argo," $12.4 million.
2. "Hotel Transylvania," $9.5 million.
3. "Cloud Atlas," $9.4 million.
4. "Paranormal Activity 4," $8.7 million.
5. (tie) "Silent Hill: Revelation 3-D," $8 million.
6. "Taken 2," $8 million.
7. "Here Comes the Boom," $5.5 million.
8. "Sinister," $5.07 million.
9. "Alex Cross," $5.05 million.
10. "Fun Size," $4.1 million.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
