While it would seem logical to find a female-oriented movie on top after Super Bowl Sunday, an action thriller proved there was more than enough testosterone to go around. Taken, starring Oscar-nominee Liam Neeson, took in $24.7 million making it the second best opener ever during the same football period. (Last year’s Hannah Montana concert film grossed $31.1 million.)

Meanwhile, a romantic comedy starring an actual Oscar winner, failed to do what counterprogramming options are meant to do: score a touchdown. New in Town, starring Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr., earned $6.7 million and a disappointing 8th place. (Apparently Academy Awards don’t guarantee future success.) The romantic comedy raked in about 1/2 as much as Zellweger’s Leatherheads did…and that’s saying a lot.

1. Taken, 20th Century Fox, $24,717,037 (avg. $7765)
2. Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Sony, $13,872,751 (avg. $4327)
3. The Uninvited, Dreamworks, $10,325,824 (avg. $4405)
4. Hotel for Dogs, Paramount, $8,632,740 (avg. $2732)
5. Gran Torino, Warner Bros., $8,232,278 (avg. $2730)
6. Slumdog Millionaire, Fox Searchlight, $7,628,713 (avg. $4672)
7. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Sony, $7,581,272 (avg. $2577)
8. New in Town, Lionsgate, $6,741,530 (avg. $3473)
9. My Bloody Valentine 3D, Lionsgate, $4,479,662 (avg. $3186)
10. Inkheart, Warner Bros., $3,721,492 (avg. $1402)

(You can review last week’s episode here.)