Lions Gate's "Saw III" debuted as the top movie in North America this weekend, as Halloween moviegoers were hungry for watching the latest sequel of the horror franchise, which took in estimated 34.3 million dollars in ticket sales, according to box office figures released here Sunday (Oct 29th).

The puppet-master Jigsaw returns as the twisted villain in the latest installment of the "Saw" franchise, and kidnaps a doctor while watching his new apprentice put an unlucky citizen through a brutal test.

Martin Scorsese's mob drama "The Departed," kept its second place hold, but was far behind the box office leader with estimated 9.8 million dollars, said box office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co.Inc.

Last week's winner "The Prestige" slipped to third place with about 9.6 million dollars. The movie about rival magicians in early 1900s London brought in 14.8 million dollars when it debuted last weekend.

Clint Eastwood's "Flags of our Fathers," about the six men who raised the American flag over Iwo Jima during World War II, dropped one spot from third place last week to fourth place with estimated 6.4 million dollars.

Sony Corp.'s animated "Open Season," about animals banding together for protection during hunting season, kept in the top five, with estimated 6.1 million dollars to secure the fifth spot. Final figures for the Friday-to-Monday period will be released Monday.

The Halloween weekend's top 12 films in the United States and Canada grossed 89 million dollars, making it the fifth "up" weekend in a row. The movie ticket sales in North America have risen to 7.6 billion dollars so far this year, a 6.7 percent increase from the same period last year.

Editor: Donald