According to studio estimates on Sunday the spy thriller "Taken" starring 6-foot-4 Liam Neeson as a former CIA spy and a vigilante father, who must rescue his daughter from modern-day slave traders, snatched the No. 1 spot at North American box offices over the weekend by grabbing $24.6 million in just under 3,200 theaters, for an average of about $7,700 per theater.

 

The movie helped fuel the first $1 billion in January ticket sales in Hollywood history and it played to a mix of men and women, as a spokesman for its distributor, 20th Century Fox, said. Bert Livingston also stated that it was an all-audience movie which despite a dismal economy, managed to raise attendance to 16% for the month.

 

Columbia Pictures' comedy "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," had held the top spot for two weeks until it slipped on the second place in favor of “Taken.” The movie starring comic actor Kevin James earned $14 million over the weekend, rising to a three-week total of $83.4 million.

 

The new supernatural thriller “The Uninvited” released by Paramount Pictures came third, bagging $10.5 million.

 

The top five was rounded out by Paramount Pictures’ “Hotel for Dogs” with $8.7 million and Clint Eastwood’s popular “Gran Torino” released by Warner Bros. with $8.6 million.

There were other fresh entries in theaters like the romantic comedy "New In Town" released by Lionsgate Entertainment and starring Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick, Jr. Unfortunately it only came in at No. 8 earning $6.8 million.

 

Oscar favorite "Slumdog Millionaire," whose director Danny Boyle won the best film award from the Directors Guild of America on Saturday night, bagged $7.7 million and pushed its overall ticket sales above $67 million.