By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY
A low-budget comedy with a television personality and middling prospects at the box office became the weekend's No. 1 film as Paul Blart: Mall Cop stunned analysts with $33.8 million, according to studio estimates from Media By Numbers.
The debut was $10 million more than projections and an impressive showing for star Kevin James, who anchored his first feature film.
James, who starred in the television show The King of Queens, "is a really lovable guy that people feel they can relate to," says Rory Bruer, head of worldwide distribution for Sony, which released Cop.
"It's a warm film, and there's no doubt people want to go see something where they can have a few laughs and escape their day," he says.
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.
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