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Action box office · January 2009

Action Box Office, January 2009: Top-Grossing Releases

Taken (2009) is the highest-grossing action movie released in January 2009, with $226.8M worldwide, ahead of Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) at $183.3M and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) at $92.2M. 13 action films released in January 2009 report a worldwide gross, $518.1M in all, 65% of it from the US & Canada. 2 films crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. That is up 190% on December 2008, whose releases took $178.5M. By language, English leads with $512.1M across 6 action releases.

January 2009 releases with a gross
13
combined worldwide
$518.1M
films crossed $100M
2
vs December 2008
+190%
Taken (2009) movie poster #1 of 13
#1 action movie of January 2009

Taken (2009)

2009 · Action, Drama

$226.8M worldwide · 44% of the chart's total

$145M US & Canada · 64% $81.8M elsewhere · 36%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Action Hits of January 2009?

Taken (2009) leads with $226.8M, 44% of the total. The top 5 together took $512.8M, 99% of what all 13 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Taken (2009) movie poster Number 1
    $226.8M Taken (2009)
    $145M US & Canada · 64% $81.8M elsewhere · 36%
  2. Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) movie poster Number 2
    $183.3M Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
    $146.3M US & Canada · 80% $37M elsewhere · 20%
  3. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) movie poster Number 3
    $92.2M Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
    $45.8M US & Canada · 50% $46.4M elsewhere · 50%
  4. Outlander (2009) movie poster Number 4
    $7M Outlander (2009)
    $166K US & Canada · 2% $6.9M elsewhere · 98%
  5. Engine Sentai Go-Onger vs. Gekiranger (2009) movie poster Number 5
    $3.4M Engine Sentai Go-Onger vs. Gekiranger (2009)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Action Release of January 2009, Ranked by Worldwide Gross

Lifetime worldwide grosses in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation; domestic means the US & Canada. Films are grouped by their release date in January 2009.

  1. 1 Taken (2009) movie poster
    Taken (2009) Jan 30, 2009 · English · Action, Drama, Thriller $226.8M worldwide
    Jan 30, 2009 US and Canada: $145M Rest of the world: $81.8M Worldwide: $226.8M
  2. 2 Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) movie poster
    Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) Jan 16, 2009 · English · Action, Comedy, Crime $183.3M worldwide
    Jan 16, 2009 US and Canada: $146.3M Rest of the world: $37M Worldwide: $183.3M
  3. 3 Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) movie poster
    Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) Jan 23, 2009 · English · Action, Adventure, Thriller $92.2M worldwide
    Jan 23, 2009 US and Canada: $45.8M Rest of the world: $46.4M Worldwide: $92.2M
  4. 4 Outlander (2009) movie poster
    Outlander (2009) Jan 23, 2009 · English · Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi $7M worldwide
    Jan 23, 2009 US and Canada: $166K Rest of the world: $6.9M Worldwide: $7M
  5. 5 Engine Sentai Go-Onger vs. Gekiranger (2009) movie poster
    Engine Sentai Go-Onger vs. Gekiranger (2009) Jan 24, 2009 · Japanese · Fantasy, Family, Adventure $3.4M worldwide
    Jan 24, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $3.4M
  6. 6 Interception (2009) movie poster
    Interception (2009) Jan 13, 2009 · English · Drama, Action, Thriller $2M worldwide
    Jan 13, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2M
  7. 7 Diamond 13 (2009) movie poster
    Diamond 13 (2009) Jan 21, 2009 · French · Crime, Thriller, Action $878.2K worldwide
    Jan 21, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $878.2K
  8. 8 Villu (2009) movie poster
    Villu (2009) Jan 12, 2009 · Tamil · Comedy, Action, Drama $834.2K worldwide
    Jan 12, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $834.2K
  9. 9 Dead Man Running (2009) movie poster
    Dead Man Running (2009) Jan 29, 2009 · English · Thriller, Crime, Action $735.9K worldwide
    Jan 29, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $735.9K
  10. 10 Tactical Unit: Comrades in Arms (2009) movie poster
    Tactical Unit: Comrades in Arms (2009) Jan 8, 2009 · Cantonese · Action, Crime $549K worldwide
    Jan 8, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $549K
  11. 11 Contrato (2009) movie poster
    Contrato (2009) Jan 15, 2009 · Portuguese · Action, Crime, Romance $254.7K worldwide
    Jan 15, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $254.7K
  12. 12 Devil’s Town (2009) movie poster
    Devil’s Town (2009) 2009 · Serbian · Action, Thriller, Drama $45.9K worldwide
    2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $45.9K
  13. 13 Padikathavan (2009) movie poster
    Padikathavan (2009) Jan 14, 2009 · Tamil · Drama, Action $22.1K worldwide
    Jan 14, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $22.1K
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in January 2009?

Of the top 10, Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) earned the biggest share at home (80% in the US & Canada), while Outlander (2009) made 98% of its gross abroad. Across all 13 films, $337.3M (65%) came from the US & Canada. 6 films of the top 10 report no US & Canada figure.

  1. 1 Taken (2009) $226.8M
    $145M US & Canada · 64% $81.8M elsewhere · 36%
  2. 2 Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) $183.3M
    $146.3M US & Canada · 80% $37M elsewhere · 20%
  3. 3 Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) $92.2M
    $45.8M US & Canada · 50% $46.4M elsewhere · 50%
  4. 4 Outlander (2009) $7M
    $166K US & Canada · 2% $6.9M elsewhere · 98%
  5. 5 Engine Sentai Go-Onger vs. Gekiranger (2009) $3.4M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  6. 6 Interception (2009) $2M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  7. 7 Diamond 13 (2009) $878.2K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  8. 8 Villu (2009) $834.2K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  9. 9 Dead Man Running (2009) $735.9K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  10. 10 Tactical Unit: Comrades in Arms (2009) $549K
    No US & Canada figure reported
Gross bands

How Many January 2009 Releases Crossed $100 Million?

2 of 13 films crossed $100M and took $410.2M between them, 79% of the total. 10 films, 77% of the list, earned under $10M.

  • $1B or more 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $500M to $1B 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $100M to $500M 2 films, 15% of the list $410.2M · 79% of the gross
  • $10M to $100M 1 film, 8% of the list $92.2M · 18% of the gross
  • Under $10M 10 films, 77% of the list $15.8M · 3% of the gross
By release week

Which Week of January 2009 Had the Biggest Releases?

Films released in week 5 (Jan 25–31) took $227.6M, led by Taken (2009). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.

  1. Week 1 Wk 1 Jan 1–3 Devil’s Town (2009) $45.9K Devil’s Town (2009)
  2. Week 2 Wk 2 Jan 4–10 Tactical Unit: Comrades in Arms (2009) $549K Tactical Unit: Comrades in Arms (2009)
  3. Week 3 Wk 3 Jan 11–17 Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) $186.5M Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
  4. Week 4 Wk 4 Jan 18–24 Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) $103.5M Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
  5. Week 5 Wk 5 Jan 25–31 Taken (2009) $227.6M Taken (2009)
Earlier years

How Does January 2009 Compare With January in Earlier Years?

Of these 10 years, January 2009 earned the most: $518.1M from 13 films, led by Taken (2009).

Month Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
January 2000 2 films 2 $261.3K – Mela (2000) $220.5K
January 2001 4 films · +12252% 4 $32.3M +12252% Double Take (2001) $31.6M
January 2002 7 films · +224% 7 $104.5M +224% Brotherhood of the Wolf (2002) $70.8M
January 2003 10 films · +139% 10 $249.5M +139% The Recruit (2003) $101.2M
January 2004 9 films · −81% 9 $48.5M −81% Torque (2004) $46.5M
January 2005 8 films · +184% 8 $138M +184% Elektra (2005) $57M
January 2006 14 films · +152% 14 $347.5M +152% Big Momma's House 2 (2006) $141.5M
January 2007 12 films · −63% 12 $129.9M −63% Smokin' Aces (2007) $57.2M
January 2008 9 films · +140% 9 $311.4M +140% Cloverfield (2008) $172.4M
January 2009 13 films · +66% 13 $518.1M +66% Taken (2009) $226.8M
By language

Which Languages Do the Biggest Action Movies Speak in January 2009?

English-language action films took $512.1M across 6 films, 99% of the total, ahead of Japanese-language action films ($3.4M) and French-language action films ($878.2K).

January 2009 Action Box Office by Language

  1. English $512.1M
    6 films · #1 Taken (2009)
  2. Japanese $3.4M
    1 film · #1 Engine Sentai Go-Onger vs. Gekiranger (2009)
  3. French $878.2K
    1 film · #1 Diamond 13 (2009)
  4. Tamil $856.3K
    2 films · #1 Villu (2009)
  5. Cantonese $549K
    1 film · #1 Tactical Unit: Comrades in Arms (2009)
  6. Portuguese $254.7K
    1 film · #1 Contrato (2009)
  7. Serbian $45.9K
    1 film · #1 Devil’s Town (2009)
Archive

Action Box Office in 2009, Month by Month

The months of 2009 with their totals: December leads with $3.5B, led by Avatar (2009).

FAQ

Action Box Office January 2009: Questions & Answers

The chart's numbers in short: the #1 film, the total, the billion-dollar hits and the US & Canada share, answered from the same 13 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing action movie in January 2009?

Taken (2009) leads with $226.8M worldwide, $145M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) at $183.3M and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) at $92.2M.

How much did action movies released in January 2009 earn?

13 action films released in January 2009 report a worldwide gross, $518.1M in all, or $39.9M per film on average. December 2008 releases took $178.5M.

How many action movies released in January 2009 made $1 billion?

None. 2 films crossed $100 million, led by Taken (2009) with $226.8M.

How much of the January 2009 Action box office came from the US and Canada?

$337.3M of the $518.1M total, or 65%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 9 films of the 13 report no domestic figure.

How is the January 2009 action box office chart ranked and where do the numbers come from?

Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date in January 2009. The figures are the reported box office grosses in our database. A gross that looks misattributed, such as one figure shared by two unrelated films or a blockbuster total on an obscure title, is left out rather than shown as a fact.

How often is the January 2009 action box office chart updated?

Grosses change while films are in theaters and whenever a new figure is reported; this chart reads the latest numbers in our database, so an older film can still move after a re-release.