'3:10 to Yuma' shoots its way to top of the box office - The western remake hauls in $14.1 million. Another action movie, 'Shoot 'Em Up,' pulls in only $5.5 million.

Lions Gate Films' "3:10 to Yuma," a critically acclaimed western remake starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, hit its target, hauling in an estimated $14.1 million in the U.S. and Canada to open at No. 1, the company said Sunday.

But New Line Cinema's high-octane thriller "Shoot 'Em Up," with Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti and Monica Bellucci, was the latest box-office misfire for the beleaguered studio. The film pulled in $5.5 million, well shy of expectations, and placed sixth despite moderately favorable reviews.

"Our success this weekend validates our release strategy," said Lions Gate President Tom Ortenberg, who had moved up "3:10 to Yuma" from its originally scheduled Oct. 5 launch.

"We wanted to be the first western into the marketplace and the first prestige film of the fall," Ortenberg said. "With our critical and commercial success, we're now well positioned for the upcoming awards season."

Warner Bros. plans to release "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," a western starring Brad Pitt, on Sept. 21. Miramax's "No Country for Old Men," a crime drama with a western flavor, comes out Nov. 9.

Lions Gate plans a heavy awards marketing campaign for director James Mangold's "Yuma," Ortenberg said.

"3:10 to Yuma" met box-office expectations in its opening weekend. Though it isn't shaping up as a blockbuster, Lions Gate believes it could play strongly for several weeks.

The audience leaned male and over age 25, Ortenberg said. But, he added, younger patrons and females rated it just as highly as older men in theater exit surveys, which bodes well for its prospects.

Relativity Media, Hollywood financier Ryan Kavanaugh's investment vehicle, put up the money for the $50-million production and partnered with Lions Gate, which is handling the movie's distribution and marketing in North America and several overseas territories.

The weekend after Labor Day is typically a slow period for movies, with school schedules and football telecasts competing for consumers' attention. But it also marks the start of autumn on Hollywood's calendar.

Industrywide grosses were up about 16% from the same weekend in 2006, research firm Media by Numbers said. It was the ninth straight weekend of year-over-year improvement.