Any claimers to the box office throne have their butts kicked by Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills in "Taken 2".

11 Oct – Despite the mixed reviews for Olivier Megaton's "Taken 2", the action thriller film dominated at the box office last weekend (4 – 7 Oct) with one of the best October debuts ever. The film tallied US$49.5 million this weekend, which is double the first's $24.7 million. The success of "Taken 2" should not come as a big surprise though, considering that the first "Taken" had a strong reputation for over three years after its release. The sequel has Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) and his ex-wife, Lenore (Famke Janssen) taken instead, when Lenore and their daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), decide to join him in Istanbul after Lenore's husband cancels their holiday to China. The mastermind behind the kidnapping is none other than Murad Krasniqi (Rade Šerbedžija), the employer of the men and father of Marko, a victim whom Bryan killed via electrocution while searching for his daughter in "Taken". In second place is "Hotel Transylvania", while "Pitch Perfect" soared to third place after opening in sixth place the week before last.

In Malaysia, "Taken 2" also made a killing in the box office over the weekend and took top spot. In second place is also "Hotel Transylvania", while in third place is the local horror comedy "Hantu Kapcai".

Unsurprisingly, in Singapore, "Taken 2" also took the top spot. However, in second place is Stephen Fung's highly-anticipated "Taichi O", a Chinese martial arts flick that stars some of Asia's hottest stars, such as William Feng, Eddie Peng, Angelababy, Shu Qi and Tony Leung Ka-Fai, although the lead role is essayed by 2008 Olympic gold medallist Yuan Xiaochao. "Taichi O" tells the story of a gifted child named Yang Luchan, who is named a freak due to the mysterious lump on his forehead, which also gives him special powers. Shunned by the people around him, he goes out into the world to seek his fortune, and stumbles across Chen village, which is known for their Tai Chi moves. However, according to the Chen family rules, they are not allowed to impart their knowledge to outsiders, but Yang gets the chance to prove himself worthy when the British authorities invade the village. Last but not least, is David Koepp's "Premium Rush" in third place.

Yuan Xiaochao makes his acting debut in "Taichi O".

For Malaysia, new movies that opened last week were "The Assassins", "Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning", "Ngorat", "Taikun", "English Vinglish" and "The Thieves".

For Singapore, new movies that opened last week were "The Words", "Celeste And Jesse Forever (2D)", "English Vinglish", "Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal", "Kinks" and "Supercapitalist".