LOS ANGELES — “Annabelle” couldn’t scare off “Gone Girl” at the weekend box office.

The Fox thriller starring Ben Affleck as a man whose wife goes missing overcame the Warner Bros. possessed doll horror with a $38 million debut.

Both films join the recently released “The Maze Runner” and “The Equalizer” in crossing the $30 million mark this fall, a typically low-earning season at the box office.

“It was virtually a photo finish,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. “These two movies couldn’t be more different. It shows how if the marketplace presents a diversity of product, audiences will come out. It’s the third and fourth $30 million debut of the past two weeks. It’s been a great post-summer run.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters were:

1. “Gone Girl,” $38 million

2. “Annabelle,” $37.2 million

3. “The Equalizer,” $19 million

4. “The Boxtrolls,” $12.4 million

5. “The Maze Runner,” $12 million

6. “Left Behind,” $6.8 million

7. “This Is Where I Leave You,” $4 million

8. “Dolphin Tale 2,” $3.5 million

9. “Guardians of the Galaxy,” $3 million

10. “No Good Deed,” $2.5 million