'Mall Cop' weighs in at No. 1

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Clint Eastwood found his "Gran Torino" surrounded by the good, the bad and the ugly at U.S. movie theaters this weekend.

Box Office Mojo said estimated gate receipts showed "Gran Torino" slipped to No. 2 with $22.24 million in ticket sales as Kevin James's security cop comedy, "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," took over the top spot with $33.8 million in sales.

"My Bloody Valentine," a horror thriller directed by Patrick Lussier, opened at No. 3 with $21.9 million in sales, followed by "Notorious," which depicts the real-life story of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G, with $21.5 million, and "Hotel for Dogs," a comedy about kids turning a vacant house into a kennel, at $17.71 million.

Rounding out the Top 10 were "Bride Wars," with $11.75 million; "The Unborn," with $9.85 million; "Defiance," a Golden Globe-nominated drama about Jewish resistance fighters in Poland during World War II that zoomed up from 35th in its third week in the theaters, with $9.21 million; "Marley and Me," with $6.33 million; and "Slumdog Millionaire," back up from No. 11, with $5.9 million.

The slew of new offerings helped push out "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Bedtime Stories," "Valkyrie," "Yes Man," "Not Easily Broken" and "Seven Pounds."