Weekend of January 30 – February 1, 2008

Pierre Morel’s action thriller “Taken” easily defeated its competition at the North American box office with $24.6 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Starring Liam Neeson, the film follows a former government operative who stops at nothing to find his daughter and punish those responsible for her kidnapping.

Last week’s box office champ “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” slipped to second place, earning another $14 million for a domestic total of $83.3 million after three weeks in release.

Meanwhile, new entry “The Uninvited” debuted at No. 3 with a weekend gross of $10.5 million. Charles and Thomas horror remake follows two sisters trying to convince their dad that his new girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks) is not who she pretends to be.

Click to read more ...

Pierre Morel's thriller "Taken" stormed the North American box office Friday with an estimated $9.3 million in ticket sales.

In the film written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, Liam Neeson plays a former government opertive tracking down those responsible for his daughter's kidnapping.

Debuting at No. 2 with $4.3 million was Charles and Thomas Guard's horror flick "The Uninvited," about two sisters who are convinced their dad's new fiancee is not the person she pretends to be.

Following in third place was Kevin James' comedy "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," which earned $4.1 million for a $73.5 million total. Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino" took home another $2.6 million and lifted its domestic gross to $104.5 million.

At No. 5, "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" pulled $2.5 million, reaching a total haul of $28.1 million after one week in release. "New in Town," this week's third wide release, only made it to No. 6 with $2.4 million.

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

Weekend of January 23 – 25, 2008

“Paul Blart: Mall Cop” topped the North American box office for the second consecutive weekend with $21.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Steve Carr’s family comedy starring Kevin James as a mall security guard successfully fought off its competition, lifting its domestic gross to an impressive $64 million after only two weeks in release.

Following closely in second place was new entry “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans,” which took home $20.7 million but failed to beat the $26.8 million opening weekend gross of its predecessor, “Underworld: Evolution.”

Things didn’t go so well for “Inkheart,” this weekend’s second wide release. The Iain Softley-directed adaptation of Cornelia Funke’s novel finished only in seventh place with $7.7 million. In the film, Brendan Fraser plays a man with the ability to bring characters out of books by reading them aloud.

Click to read more ...

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)