LOS ANGELES — Liam Neeson's CIA thriller "Taken" bumped off "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" at the weekend box office, raking in $24.6 million and helping fuel the first $1 billion January in Hollywood history.

North American box office revenues were up 20 percent in January over the same period last year, reaching a record $1.03 billion for the month. Attendance was up 16 percent over last year, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media by Numbers.

"This is exactly how you want to start a year," Dergarabedian said Sunday. "I think people feel movies are a good value for their dollar. Going to a movie is a habit people aren't willing to break."

"Taken" follows Neeson as a former CIA operative trying to track down a group of kidnappers who want to sell his daughter into the sex slave trade.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers.

1. "Taken," $24.6 million.

2. "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," $14 million.

3. "The Uninvited," $10.5 million.

4. "Hotel for Dogs," $8.7 million.

5. "Grand Torino," $8.6 million.

6. "Slumdog Millionaire," $7.7 million.

7. "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans," $7.2 million.

8. "New in Town," $6.7 million.

9. "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," $4.3 million.

10. "Inkheart," $3.7 million.