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Box Office Review: America taken by Taken
Okay, this picture is from 'The Fog' but Maggie looks hotter here. | Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures
The Liam Neeson thriller Taken ended the box office stranglehold of Paul Blart: Loser at Life this weekend by scoring a big win on Super Bowl weekend. Taken pulled in $24.6M to easily outpace the Kevin James non-laugher ($14M/$83.3M) and restore some semblance of sanity to the universe. Crappy re-make The Uninvited tallied up $10.5M in its opening weekend while Hotel for Dogs ($8.7M/$48.2M) managed to hold off the infinitely superior Gran Torino ($8.6M/$110.5M).
Oscar favorite Slumdog Millionaire led off the second half of the top 10 by adding $7.6M to its already bulging coffers ($67.2M). Underworld: Rise of the Lycans was a hair behind at $7.2M ($32.7M) while New in Town was mostly D.O.A. in its debut ($6.7M). My Bloody Valentine 3D continued to do decent business ($4.2M/$44.6M). Inkheart, however, is fading fast and looks to be a bust for Warner Brothers ($3.7M/$12.7M). In limited release, Medicine for Melancholy outperformed expecations ($14,700 per theater).
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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