Paul Blart is the 2nd Best MLK Opener Ever

The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend.

Columbia Pictures' Paul Blart: Mall Cop topped the four-day Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend with an estimated $39 million from 3,144 theaters. The Kevin James comedy, directed by Steve Carr, averaged an impressive $12,405 per site. The film surpassed Black Hawk Down ($33.6 million) to become the second-highest opening for the four-day weekend, trailing only last year's Cloverfield ($46.1 million). It cost just $26 million to make.

Dropping one spot to second, Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino added another $26.2 million over the four days to bring its total to $77.2 million. The Warner Bros. Pictures release carried a budget of about $33 million.

Lionsgate's horror remake My Bloody Valentine 3D debuted in the third spot to an estimated $24.2 million in 2,534 theaters, followed closely by Fox Searchlight's new biopic Notorious, which made $24 million in 1,638 theaters. The latter had the biggest per-screen average of the top 12 films with $14,652.

DreamWorks Pictures' new family comedy Hotel for Dogs rounded out the top five with $22.5 million from 3,271 theaters.

In their second weekends, 20th Century Fox's Bride Wars collected $14 million for a total of $39.9 million and Rogue Pictures' The Unborn earned $10.993 million for a total of $34.2 million.

Paramount Vantage increased the theater count for Edward Zwick's Defiance to 1,789 theaters, allowing the Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell drama to enter the top 10 with $10.7 million. It has earned $11 million in three weeks.

The Golden Globe wins for Slumdog Millionaire gave the Danny Boyle-directed drama a nice push, as it collected another $7.2 million from just 582 theaters - an average of $12,285 per site. The film has earned $43.987 million and was produced for just $15 million.

Opening in limited release, Bollywood pic Chandni Chowk to China made $700,000 from 130 theaters.