Box Office : Mall Cop stay on Top

TV Guide

Kevin James is not just the King of Queens, but the king of the box office as well.

For the second weekend in a row, James' Paul Blart: Mall Cop topped the list, this time earning $21.5 million to bring its cumulative gross to $64.8 million.

The comedy edged Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, which debuted to $20.7 million, a slightly lower opening than that of its predecessors, Underworld ($21.7 million) and Underworld: Evolution ($26.8 million). The weekend's other new release, Inkheart, failed to intrigue moviegoers, bowing in seventh with $7.7 million.

Dropping one place to third but still riding strong was Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino ($16 million), which now sits $3 million shy of the $100 million mark. Boosted by their Oscar nominations, Slumdog Millionaire, which earned 10 nods, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which received 13, moved into fifth and ninth, respectively. Slumdog's $10.6 million haul brings its total to $56 million, while Button's $6 million take enabled the film to re-enter the top 10. Button's total is now $111 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were Hotel for Dogs (No. 4, $12.4 million), My Bloody Valentine 3-D (No. 6, $10.1 million), Bride Wars (No. 8, $7 million) and Notorious (No. 10, $5.7 million).