Box Office Review: Who Blarted?

Where's the nearest toilet?! I'm cramping!! | Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Dismal "comedy" Paul Blart: Mall Cop tricked thousands of Americans into buying tickets as it easily topped the weekend box office chart ($33.8M). Last week's champ Gran Torino had another strong week ($22.2M/$73.2M) as it held off three new releases: the bloody My Bloody Valentine 3-D ($21.9M), the bloody Notorious ($21.5M) and the bloody Hotel for Dogs ($17.7M). The second half of the top 10 was led by the awful Bride Wars ($11.7M/$37.5M) which bested the amazing Odette Yustman's The Unborn ($9.8M/$33M).

Americans proved they still hate the Nazis by lifting Defiance to a reasonably good weekend in its first week of wide release ($9.2M/$9.5M). After that it was the durable Marley & Me ($6.3M/$132.7M) and the fantastic Slumdog Millionaire ($5.9M/$42.7M) which appeared to get a nice little goose from its recent Golden Globes win. The only new film in limited release this weekend was the widely panned Chandni Chowk to China which averaged a mediocre $5008 in 130 theaters and should soon vanish from view.