Paul Blart Mall Cop Movie

Audience tracking surveys are hardly perfect, but rarely are they as far off the mark as when "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" arrived in theaters three weeks ago. Having studied the various appraisals of moviegoer interest, executives at Sony Pictures concluded that, at worst, "Mall Cop" would gross $20 million in its first four days, with a high end of perhaps $25 million in domestic theaters. The actual Martin Luther King Day weekend returns: $39.2 million. Since its Jan.

The king is in a new court. And it's like the junior high BMOC stumbling into the varsity locker room. "I was nervous about it because I'd worked with Adam [Sandler] before, and Will [Smith] before that, but . . . you know, I was sick of carrying those guys," says Kevin James of his lead in "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" with his cheerful deadpan. "I really felt connected to this character and wanted to make it the most physical thing I'd ever done.