By Anthony Breznican
The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - Denzel Washington, who sets out to rescue a little girl in Man on Fire, pushed aside another little girl in the comedy 13 Going on 30 to claim the top spot at the weekend box office.

The violent revenge thriller Man on Fire debuted with $23 million, while Jennifer Garner's lighthearted child-in-an-adult-body movie 13 Going on 30came in at No. 2 with $22 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The difference is close enough that the films could switch places when final figures are released today.

This marks Washington's strongest opening since his Oscar-winning role in Training Day, which opened in October 2001 with $22.5 million. He has lately had a lukewarm spell with the drama Antwone Fisher and the thriller Out of Time.

"This is a harder-edged Denzel. People seem to like that and he can pull it off," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

In Man on Fire, Washington stars as a security guard who goes on a vicious spree to save 10-year-old Dakota Fanning from kidnappers. It's the latest in a line of successful vengeance films to score well with moviegoers, following last week's No. 1 debut for Kill Bill - Vol. 2 and successful runs for The Punisher and Walking Tall.

The audience for Man on Fire was about 55 percent female, said Bruce Snyder, the head of distribution for 20th Century Fox, which is unusual for an action-adventure movie.

Garner, despite her fame from the Alias TV spy show, remains a relatively untested commodity among movie audiences, but her film's close second-place finish points to a star on the rise.

"This is a stepping stone to stardom," said Tom Sherak, a partner in Revolution Studios, which produced the movie for distributor Sony. "The camera loves her, you can see it, you can feel it."

The key to her success, Dergarabedian said, is that the super-fit actress appeals to both genders. The tough-as-nails star is not an overt sexpot, nor a willowy sweetheart.

"What she brings to the table is a sexiness to her, but a down-to-earth likeability," Dergarabedian said. "The premise of 13 going on 30 has been used numerous times, but the marketing campaign has been very effective."

Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill - Vol. 2 ranked third in its second week with $10.4 million.

After an Easter surge to No. 1, The Passion of the Christ fell out of the top 10 this weekend to No. 11 with $2.1 million. The movie has taken in a spectacular $364.3 million domestically.

The Top 10

1. Man on Fire, $23 million

2. 13 Going on 30, $22 million

3. Kill Bill - Vol. 2, $10.4 million

4. The Punisher, $6.1 million

5. Home on the Range, $3.4 million

6. Johnson Family Vacation, $3.15 million

7. Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, $3.13 million

8. Hellboy, $3 million

9. Ella Enchanted, $2.7 million

10. Walking Tall, $2.6 million