PHOTOFINISH AT BOX OFFICE

In one of the closest finishes for first place at the domestic box office in recent memory, David Fincher’s Gone Girl, with $37.5 million in ticket sales, edged out the horror flick Annabelle with $37.1 million. Although Sunday’s estimates had indicated that Fincher’s movie would wind up with around $38 million, the final result still exceeded pundits’ predictions So, for that matter, did Annabelle, which seemed assured of launching a new franchise for New Line/Warner Bros. The two films gave the box office a much-wanted boost, pushing it 21 percent above the same weekend a year ago when the second week of Gravity led with $55.8 million. Also opening over the weekend, the faith-based Left Behind appeared to live up to its name as it debuted with $6.3 million.