'Underworld: Rise of the Lycans' tops Friday b.o.

Patrick Tatopoulos' "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" raced to the top of the North American box office Friday with an estimated $7.9 million in ticket sales.The prequel to 2003's "Underworld" explores the origins of the feud between the Death Dealer and the Lycans.

Last week's box office champion "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" slipped to No. 2, taking home $5.6 million for a total of $48.9 million after one week in release. Starring Kevin James, the family comedy follows a security guard trying to protect his mall from a bunch of crooks.

At No. 3, Clint Eastwood's drama "Gran Torino" collected $4.3 million, lifting its domestic gross to $85.8 million. Following in fourth place was Patrick Lussier's remake "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," which reached a total haul of $30.8 million after a daily gross of $3.1 million.

Meanwhile, Danny Boyle's Oscar-nominated drama "Slumdog Millionaire" climbed to No. 5, pulling $2.7 million for a cume of $48.1 million.

As for "Inkheart," this weekend's second wide release, it finished only in eighth place with a disappointing $2 million. Based on the novel by Cornelia Funke, the film follows a man with the ability to bring characters from a book to life.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)