Los Angeles ? Joel and Ethan Coen scored their biggest opener to date by raking in $19.4 million in ticket sales for “Burn After Reading” and helping end a seven-week attendance slide at theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The madcap comedy starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney and John Malkovich raked in $7 million more than the writing-directing duo’s last box-office hit, the 2004 comedy “The Ladykillers,” according to box office tracker Media by Numbers.

“Burn After Reading’s” success comes just a year after the brothers gained widespread acclaim for the drama “No Country for Old Men,” which won four Academy Awards and grossed $73.3 million.

The top 10 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, as estimated by Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released today.

1. “Burn After Reading,” $19.4 million.

2. “Tyler Perry’s The Family that Preys,” $18.0 million.

3. “Righteous Kill,” $16.5 million.

4. “The Women,” $10.1 million.

5. “The House Bunny,” $4.3 million.

6. “Tropic Thunder,” $4.2 million.

7. “The Dark Knight,” $4.0 million.

8. “Bangkok Dangerous,” $2.4 million.

9. “Traitor,” $2.1 million.

10. “Death Race,” $2.0 million.