The Box-Office Top Five
#1 "He's Just Not That Into You" ($27.5 million)
#2 "Taken" ($20.3 million)
#3 "Coraline" ($16.3 million)
#4 "The Pink Panther 2" ($12 million)
#5 "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" ($11 million)
It was another busy weekend at the box office, as female audiences flocked to theaters to find out exactly why guys weren't into Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore or Jennifer Connelly. The romantic comedy exceeded studio expectations and hauled in $27.5 million on its opening weekend, thanks to a lot of marketing and pre-Valentine's Day buzz.
But it wasn't all about the girls this weekend. Liam Neeson's "Taken" fell a spot but ass-kicked its way to earn another $20.3 million, for a total of $53.4 million. That number doesn't reflect how many boyfriends and husbands skipped out of "Into You" at the last minute to see Neeson instead.
The eerie animated adventure "Coraline" also came in above expectations, landing at #3 with $16.3 million. Billed as the first 3-D stop-motion film, its box office may have suffered from the fact that there aren't as many 3-D theaters as there should be. But with glowing reviews and Neil Gaiman and Henry Selick behind it, it's likely to live on at your Hot Topic store for decades.
"The Pink Panther 2" opened with a pale $12 million, though that was enough to earn it a spot in the top five. That was something the superpowers of "Push" couldn't manage, as the film opened at #6 with $10.2 million.
The long-delayed "Fanboys" had a blink-and-you-miss-it opening this weekend at only 44 locations. But those 44 theaters did manage to bring a gross of $164,000, which the Weinstein Co. should be quite happy with.
"Exceeding expectations" and "happy with its performance" are definitely the keywords going around Hollywood the past couple of weeks. Movies like "Into You" and "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" are overcoming middling reviews to haul in big bucks, proving that audiences continue to be hungry for escapist fun.
Upcoming Releases
The double-holiday weekend sees the debut of three big releases: Clive Owen's thriller "The International," Warner Bros. horror remake "Friday the 13th" and Isla Fisher's "Confessions of a Shopaholic."
Check out everything we've got on "He's Just Not That Into You,""Taken" and "Coraline."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
‘Taken’ Captures Box-Office #1, Despite Super Bowl
‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’ Secures Second Box-Office #1
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(AP)
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(AP)
