Paul Blart: Mall Cop spent its second weekend in the #1 spot at the box office with $21.5 million, down only 32% from its first weekend. That edged out newcomer Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, which nonetheless managed a $20.7 million weekend despite losing the star of the franchise, Kate Beckinsale.
The only other new wide release this weekend, the fantasy adventure Inkheart, crashed and burned with a $7.7 million opening.
Hot off the Oscar nominations, Slumdog Millionaire expanded to 1,411 theaters and jumped 80% to $10.6 million, shooting up to 5th place. Fellow nominee The Curious Case of Benjamin Button also saw a bump up to 9th place. Total grosses to date are $56 million and $111 million, respectively.
The top ten in millions (number in parenthesis is total gross):
- Paul Blart: Mall Cop – 21.5 (64.8)
- Underworld: Rise of the Lycans – 20.7
- Gran Torino – 16.0 (97.6)
- Hotel for Dogs – 12.4 (37.0)
- Slumdog Millionaire – 10.6 (55.9)
- My Bloody Valentine 3D – 10.1 (37.7)
- Inkheart – 7.7
- Bride Wars – 7.0 (48.7)
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – 6.0 (111.0)
- Notorious – 5.7 (31.8)
Other Oscar nominees are still plugging along below the top ten with more mixed results. Frost/Nixon made $3 million from 1,099 theaters for a per-theater average of only $2,750. The Reader made $1.4 million from 367 theaters for a $3,858 average. And Milk made $864,000 from 250 theaters for a $3,456 average.
By contrast, even after going into wide release, Slumdog Millionaire’s average is still at $7,477, and was routinely above $15K during its limited run.
Finally, two studio leftovers were dumped quietly into limited release this weekend in order to fill contractual agreements to release a movie in theaters. The Weinstein Company’s Killshot boasts the seemingly-strong cast of Diane Lane, Mickey Rourke, and Rosario Dawson, but debuted in 5 theaters and grossed $10,060 total for a pitiful $2,012 average. Third Rail Releasing’s Outlander, a Vikings vs. aliens movie starring Jim Caviezel, grossed $53,200 from 81 theaters for an even more pitiful $657 average.
