Ben Affleck’s “Argo,” which is a film based loosely on former Central Intelligence Agency officer Tony Mendez’s rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, trumped “Cloud Atlas” at the Friday box office, according to HDR.

Hollywood megastars Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, who both star in “Cloud Atlas,” were unable to help the science-fiction film beat out the CIA thriller in the science-fiction film’s opening weekend. “Cloud Atlas” looks at how the actions of individual lives change one another in the past, present and future.

“Argo” came in first on Friday with $3.96 million, despite the fact that it was its third Friday of release. “Cloud Atlas,” on the other hand,   opened at approximately 2,000 theaters and earned $3.46 million on Friday.

Despite its poor earnings, “Cloud Atlas” has an all-star cast. One of the most fascinating parts of the film is that the actors play different characters throughout the past, present and future, which required the actors to spend hours becoming different sexes, races and ages.

“Actually, it was fun,” Mr. Hanks told E! at the premiere of the movie. “It takes a really long time … I learned how to sleep with my head up. Because you’re coming in to work at 5:45 in the morning and Halle, by the way, had been there since 4:45 in the morning ’cause the chicks need more time.”

Sometimes, Mr. Hanks said, the transformations were so drastic that he had trouble recognizing his costars on set.

“Yes! Yes there was!” Mr. Hanks said when asked if he ever had trouble recognizing his fellow actors when they came on set. “There was a small part that Susan plays and she walked on and I honestly thought, ‘Chris Walken and Al Pacino had a baby and it’s here now.'”

Regardless of Mr. Hanks’ role in “Cloud Atlas,” the science-fiction film is likely to find more success on Blu-ray and DVD.

Reviews of the movie have been mixed, which may be the reason why people are still paying to see Mr. Affleck’s latest flick. “If there was a category for the longest, most unique, confusing, ADD-ridden, yet, enjoyable film with awesome scenery at The Golden Globes or Academy Awards … “Cloud Atlas” would win!” writes starpulse.com’s  ‘Prinz’ Lee Romero.

Mr. Affleck, on the other hand, has experienced a string of directorial successes, including “The Town.” In a recent interview, Mr. Affleck said he hopes to try a variety of genres as he dives deeper into the world of directing.

“I’ve consciously taken on material that’s a bit too much for me but not an overreach,” the actor told The Chicago Tribune. “I would do a special-effects movie, maybe. I have nothing against that kind of thing. What Ridley Scott did with ‘Alien’ and ‘Blade Runner’ — I would love to try something like that, if it had the tone of what I’m making now.”

According to Rotten Tomatoes, “Cloud Atlas” is 61 percent fresh and “Argo” is 96 percent fresh.