Mall Cop Wins Box Office Battle

Comedy tops box office for 2nd weekend

(NEWSER) - Paul Blart: Mall Cop kept control of the box office for a second straight weekend by earning $21.5 million, Variety reports. Slumdog Millionaire, on the strength of 10 Oscar nominations, shot into fifth spot and banked $10.6 million. Filling out the top five were Underworld: Rise of the Lycans ($20.7 million), Gran Torino ($16 million), and Hotel for Dogs ($12.4 million). More»

Thriller bumps Mall Cop from top spot

(NEWSER) - The CIA thriller Taken nabbed the box office title from Paul Blart: Mall Cop, simultaneously pushing Hollywood to its first billion-dollar January, reports AP. Taken, starring Liam Neeson as a former CIA operative pursuing kidnappers, pulled in $24.6 million on Super Bowl weekend—in which thrillers typically underperform because of a drop-off in male moviegoers, reports Variety. Mall Cop banked $14 million this weekend, bumping its total to $83.4 million. Horror flick The Uninvited debuted at No. 3 with $10.5 million. More»

(NEWSER) - Clint Eastwood’s vigilante flick Gran Torino smashed box office competition and his career record this weekend, earning $29 million, Variety reports. The film has grossed $40.1 million total after a prior monthlong limited run. Wedding comedy Bride Wars placed second with $21.5 million, followed by The Unborn, Marley & Me, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. More»

Golden Globe nominations give specialty flicks a boost

(NEWSER) - The Day the Earth Stood Still pulled in $31 million and topped the box office this weekend, but specialty films drew bigger buzz, Variety reports. Benefiting from Golden Globe noms, Milk cracked the top ten with $2.6 million and Slumdog Millionaire banked $2.2 million. Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino made $284,000 in only six theaters—a per-screen weekend high—and Doubt grossed $525,000 at 15 locations. More»