Weekend Box Office

Liam Neeson says, “Take that Paul Blart!”

After two weeks atop the box office charts, the surprisingly mighty Paul Blart: Mall Cop was knocked down a peg by Liam Neeson’s killer daddy routine in the balls-to-the-wall action flick Taken.  (Read my review here.)  The Pierre Morel-directed film earned a healthy $24.6 million this weekend, not bad for a movie that’s already passed through theaters in virtually every other country (it opened in France in February 2008–almost exactly one year ago) and is apparently widely available online and via pirated DVD.  Kevin James still has plenty to crow about though–Blart still cleared $14 million in its third week in release.  With $83.3 million currently in the bank, the comedy is officially 2009’s highest-grossing picture to date.  Who the heck coulda seen that coming?

Taking the bronze was the Paramount-distributed horror flick The Unborn, which grossed a so-so $10.5 million; expect to see it on DVD by April.  At least the studio can take heart in knowing that its family friendly dog picture Hotel for Dogs is holding up like a champ.  The movie finished fourth for the second week in a row and will easily clear $50 million by next Friday.  Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino rounded out the top five with an $8.6 million gross, bringing its total to $110.5 million.  If you’re curious why Paul Blart still gets the credit for being the young year’s biggest box office success, that’s because Gran Tornio is technically a 2008 film having opened in limited release in December before going wide in January.  Somehow I don’t think that Eastwood is complaining, though–after all, at the tender age of 78, the dude has directed and starred in his biggest hit ever.

This year’s likely Best Picture winner Slumdog Millionaire dropped a spot to sixth place, but remains the second most successful film of the five nominees with $67 million to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’s $117 million.  (That film, by the way, officially slipped out of the Top Ten this week so whatever Oscar bump it enjoyed was short-lived.)  Underworld: Rise of the Lycans tumbled from second to seventh place in its second week out, meaning that the chances for a fourth film are pretty slim–at least in theaters anyway.  For the right price, it could become a direct-to-DVD franchise.  One-time box office draw Renee Zellweger got the cold shoulder for her winter-themed romantic comedy New in Town, which opened dismally in eighth place.  My Bloody Valentine 3-D and Inkheart took the last two slots, while Notorious continued its rapid descent to seventeenth place.  Here’s hoping the soundtrack sold better.

Complete Top Ten is below, courtesy of the-numbers.com.  On Friday, four new releases crowd into theaters, including the all-star rom-com He’s Just Not That Into You, the super-powered Push, the stop-motion animated film Coraline and Fanboys, a Star Wars-themed comedy that many assumed would never see the light of day.

1. Taken: $24.6
2. Paul Blart: Mall Cop: $14/$83.3
3. The Uninvited: $10.5
4. Hotel for Dogs: $8.7/$48.2
5. Gran Tornio: $8.6/$110.5
6. Slumdog Millionaire: $7.6/$67.2
7. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans: $7.2/$32.7
8. New in Town: $6.8
9. My Bloody Valentine 3-D: $4.2/$44.6
10. Inkheart: $3.7/$12.8