You just don't mess with Liam Neeson.
Poor reviews of "Taken 2" were no match for the heavy anticipation of Neeson's sequel to the low-budget 2009 action film.
The film's massive debut gave it the third-highest opening in October behind "Paranormal Activity" ($52.6 million) and "Jackass 3-D" ($50.4 million), and also brought theaters back from a big September slump.
It didn't matter if critics liked the thriller or not, the first film has a cult-like following with its overwhelming amount of screenings on cable television.
"Pitch Perfect" excelled during its wide release, "Hotel Transylvania" still delivered up scares for Sony while Tim Burton's nightmarish black and white "Frankenweenie" proved a dud.
Out of the top ten this week include the fifth installment of "Resident Evil" and "Won't Back Down."
See this weekend's winners and losers at the box office:
10. "Finding Nemo" just makes it into the top ten with $1.56 million beating out Emma Watson's "The Perks of Being a Wallflower by an estimated $30,000.
9. "The Master" drops 31 percent to $1.8 million playing in less than half of the number of theaters for "Nemo." In four weeks, the Weinstein Co. movie has earned $12.3 million despite a limited release.
8. Jennifer Lawrence's "House at the End of the Street" drops nearly 50 percent this week with $3.7 million. In three weeks, the horror flick has nearly tripled its estimated $10 million budget earning $27.5 million.
7. "Trouble with the Curve" continues its slow descent. This week the film dropped three spots with $3.8 million. Eastwood's baseball movie has failed to earn $30 million in its three weeks in theaters.
6. "End of Watch" finally falls from the top spots in week three grossing $4 million. The film has earned $32.8 million on an estimated $7 million budget.
5. Tim Burton's "Frankenweenie" opens up to a disappointing $11.5 million. The film, which cost an estimated $39 million to bring to the big screen after more than two-and-a-half decades. In comparison, kid's flick "ParaNorman" debuted to a $14.1 million opening.
4. The highly talked about "Looper" dropped two spot with $12.2 million. To date, the film has earned $40.3 million domestic, north of its estimated $30 million
3. "Pitch Perfect" moved up three spots thanks to an addition of 2,435 theaters this week. The quirky choir group brought in $14.7 million in week two bringing its total to $21.6 million.
2. Adam Sandler's "Hotel Transylvania" dipped 38 percent, holding a steady second with $26.3 million.
1. Neeson season is in full swing. "Taken 2" raked in a massive $50 million opening weekend, earning more than double the original's opening weekend ($24 million). The sequel is doing even better overseas with $67 million.
