Neeson's 'Grey' mauls box office with $19.7M

NEW YORK (AP) — Liam Neeson continues to maul the competition in the winter months. Neeson's survivalist thriller "The Grey" debuted atop the weekend box office, earning $19.7 million. The 59-year-old actor remains a big draw as an action star, following the thrillers "Taken" and "Unknown."

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:

1. "The Grey," Open Road, $19,665,101, 3,185 locations, $6,174 average, $19,665,101, one week.
2. "Underworld Awakening," Sony/Screen Gems, $12,352,802, 3,078 locations, $4,013 average, $44,978,415, two weeks.
3. "One For the Money," Lionsgate, $11,515,790, 2,737 locations, $4,207 average, $11,515,790, one week.
4. "Red Tails," Fox, $10,370,323, 2,573 locations, $4,030 average, $33,750,118, two weeks.
5. "Man On a Ledge," Summit, $8,001,932, 2,998 locations, $2,669 average, $8,001,932, one week.
6. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," Warner Bros., $6,980,448, 2,630 locations, $2,654 average, $20,941,702, six weeks.
7. "Contraband," Universal, $6,704,360, 2,650 locations, $2,530 average, $56,573,860, three weeks.
8. "The Descendants," Fox Searchlight, $6,405,285, 2,001 locations, $3,201 average, $58,703,299, 11 weeks.

9. "Beauty and the Beast," Disney, $5,307,807, 2,145 locations, $2,475 average, $41,110,138, three weeks.
10. "Haywire," Relativity Media, $4,002,760, 2,441 locations, $1,640 average, $15,281,962, two weeks.
11. "Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol," Paramount, $3,473,878, 1,654 locations, $2,100 average, $202,565,203, seven weeks.
12. "The Artist," Weinstein Co., $3,315,089, 897 locations, $3,696 average, $16,744,187, 10 weeks.
13. "The Iron Lady," Weinstein Co., $3,204,641, 1,244 locations, $2,576 average, $17,519,123, five weeks.
14. "Joyful Noise," Warner Bros., $3,188,393, 2,021 locations, $1,578 average, $26,675,903, three weeks.
15. "Hugo," Paramount, $2,510,275, 965 locations, $2,601 average, $58,925,857, 10 weeks.
16. "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," Warner Bros., $2,472,141, 1,530 locations, $1,616 average, $182,211,057, seven weeks.
17. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," Sony/Columbia, $2,190,290, 1,202 locations, $1,822 average, $98,185,403, six weeks.
18. "War Horse," Disney, $2,003,261, 1,861 locations, $1,076 average, $75,618,652, six weeks.
19. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked," Fox, $1,782,185, 1,070 locations, $1,666 average, $127,041,507, seven weeks.
20. "We Bought a Zoo," Fox, $1,468,347, 1,089 locations, $1,348 average, $71,705,878, six weeks.