Joseph Belanger

You would never know there was an economic crisis going on if you just looked at this year’s box office results. For the second week in a row, the highest drop off was just over 30% and that wasn’t even for the critically lambasted Pink Panther 2. No, there was plenty to celebrate this weekend with Valentine’s Day falling on the biggest date night of the week and Friday the 13th returning to theatres just in time to have the release day coincide with the film’s title.

Valentine’s Day doesn’t come until next weekend but there was a lot of love at the box office this weekend.

Alright, yes, Paul Blart: Mall Cop held on to the number one spot this weekend with a very narrow decline. And yes, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans opened in second place with respectable numbers considering Kate Beckinsale did not return for this third outing.

Ah, January – the only time of year where a movie about an overweight mall cop can pull in over $30 million in its opening weekend and a film about a dog hotel can open, period.

Well I’m off to a smashing start for 2009. I figured it would be no problem whatsoever for Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson to march themselves down the aisle and all the way to the top of the box office. Not only did they have to settle for second place but they almost got beat by a horror movie about an unborn twin that needs his live twin to die in order to be born. Right.