Idris Elba's No Good Deed Tops US Box Office

Idris Elba's portrayal of an escaped convict in No Good Deed has knocked Guardians Of The Galaxy off the US box office top spot.

The thriller, which also stars Taraji P Henson as the innocent victim Elba's character terrorises, opened with $24.5m (£15m).

"It's a movie that we really loved and felt that it was going to win," said Sony distribution chief Rory Bruer.

"You have to give it to the cast in Idris and Taraji. Their chemistry together is fantastic."

The film nearly doubled its reported budget in its first week of release, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak.

"It's the first brand-new post summer release to really catch on," he said.

However, No Good Deed was described by Variety as a "mediocre thriller" with a "dull and forgettable" overall effect.

It is released in the UK on November 21.

The Warner Bros feel-good film Dolphin Tale 2 debuted in second place with $16.5m (£10m). The family-friendly story stars Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd reprising their roles from the 2011 original.

Guardians slipped to third place with $8m (£5m) in ticket sales.

The Marvel space adventure, which held the number one spot for four weeks, is the top-grossing film of the year domestically, collecting more than $300m (£184.5m) in North America and $600m (£369m) worldwide.