Surprise, Surprise, Surprise at the Box Office: Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Fast & Furious and Taken
One begat a franchise, one revived a franchise and one just plain came out of nowhere—but all were equally surprising in their B.O. prowess. If the Kevin James-starring Blart had approached the $50 million mark, all involved would’ve been ecstatic; instead it almost tripled that once unrealistic amount. A sequel is now in the works, and justifiably so. Then came Fast & Furious, the risky and costly fourquel that could’ve been the nail in the coffin of not only the franchise but also for Vin Diesel’s career. Luckily for them, the movie grossed nearly $350 million worldwide, which essentially greenlit a fifth installment. Finally, there’s Taken, the biggest head-scratcher of ‘em all. With all due respect to Liam Neeson, the movie didn’t exactly have a blockbuster pedigree, but week after week it refused to die, and the end result was an astounding $144 million gross (over $220 million worldwide). The $30-$40 million range was probably the studio’s initial expectation. (And no, we didn’t forget about The Hangover, but it’s still in theaters—and very much raking in the dough.) KEEP READING: Grading Conan's Tonight Show