Los Angeles ? “The Town” is the talk of the box office, opening with $23.8 million to take the No. 1 spot.

The intense Warner Bros. drama about bank robbers in an insular section of Boston earned rave reviews. This is the second movie directed by Ben Affleck, who stars alongside Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm and Chris Cooper.

It was a crowded field this weekend as the fall film season began in earnest: Three other movies opened nationwide, with several more in limited release.

The high-school comedy “Easy A” from Columbia Pictures came in second place with $18.2 million, according to Sunday estimates. And the Universal Pictures thriller “Devil” from producer M. Night Shyamalan, about strangers trapped in an elevator, landed in third with $12.6 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood .com. Final figures will be released today.

1. “The Town,” $23.8 million.
2. “Easy A,” 18.2 million.
3. “Devil,” $12.6 million.
4. “Resident Evil: Afterlife,” $10.1 million.
5. “Alpha and Omega,” $9.2 million.
6. “Takers,” $9 million.
7. “The American,” $2.8 million.
8. “Inception,” $2 million.
9. “The Other Guys,” $2 million.
10. “Machete,” $1.7 million.