Kevin James has gone from “The King of Queens” to the king of the box-office, at least for this weekend. James’ comedy “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” opened in the top position this weekend, taking in $33.8 million. The figure was $10 million higher than expected according to reports.
“Gran Torino” continued it strong run, taking second place with $22.2 million. The Clint Eastwood drama has earned $73.2 million in six weeks.
The horror film “My Bloody Valentine 3-D” was third with $21.9 million, exceeding expectations by about $4 million. The biopic “Notorious” was fourth with $21.5 million, followed by the comedy Hotel for Dogs, which fetched $17.7 million.
The Oscar hopeful “Slumdog Millionaire” got a big boost from last week’s Golden Globes win as best drama. The Danny Boyle film surged 56% over last weekend, taking 10th place and $5.9 million. The $15 million movie has done $42.7 million.
Brad Pitt’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” became an official blockbuster this weekend, taking in $5.6 million and lifting its total to $102.6 million.
Ticket sales rose 33% over last weekend and 29% over the same weekend last year.