The bloody "Texas Chainsaw 3D" buzzed past rivals at the weekend box office, generating a chart-topping $23 million in ticket sales at US and Canadian movie theaters.

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The movie revives a horror franchise that started four decades ago with the original 1974 film about a serial killer named Leatherface. The new movie picks up where that film ended, following a woman who inherits a family home.

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The horror flick topped Quentin Tarantino Western "Django Unchained," the second place film from Friday through Sunday with $20 million. No 3 movie "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" grabbed $17.5 million, according to studio estimates.

Lions Gate Entertainment released "Texas Chainsaw." The Weinstein Co distributed "Django Unchained". "The Hobbit" was released by Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc.

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