Kevin James was the surprise winner at the box office this weekend with Paul Blart: Mall Cop, which scored an estimated $39 million over the four-day Martin Luther King Day weekend. The studio was smart to go with a PG rating as the film was able to tap into family audiences.
The even bigger surprise, though, is that pretty much everything was a flat-out success this weekend. Notorious and My Bloody Valentine 3D both scored $24 million, while Hotel for Dogs grossed $22 million. Defiance opened wide farther back but with a still-respectable $11 million.
Among holdovers, Gran Torino dropped to only second place this weekend. With almost $80 million in the bank already, it looks to make over $150 million by the end of its run.
Future Oscar success story Slumdog Millionaire also continues to make bank, albeit more quietly. Hanging out on the bottom of the top ten, its total is nearing $50 million, with much more to come.
The top ten estimates, Fri-Mon, in millions (number in parenthesis is total gross):
- Paul Blart: Mall Cop – $39.0
- Gran Torino – $26.2 ($77.2)
- My Bloody Valentine 3D – $24.2
- Notorious – $24.0
- Hotel for Dogs – $22.5
- Bride Wars – $14.0 ($39.9)
- The Unborn – $11.0 ($34.2)
- Defiance – $10.7 ($11.0)
- Marley & Me – $7.5 ($133.9)
- Slumdog Millionaire – $7.2 ($44.0)
