New Line’s remake of the horror film Friday the 13th earned $19.4 million during its first day of release, which just happened to be Friday the 13th, and cruised to an easy win at the box office with a 2009 best so far opening total estimated at $42.2 million.  Overall the Presidents’ Day weekend box office was up 38% over last year as Hollywood extended its string of sterling performances in 2009.

Friday the 13th continued a string of strong opening performances by horror movies so far in 2009.  While the torture-themed horror films of 2008 generated mediocre numbers, it appears that so far in 2009 at least, remakes of the more conventional “slasher” movies such as My Bloody Valentine and Friday the 13th are resonating with audiences more than the edgier envelope-pushing torture/horror sequels did in 2008.  Friday the 13th averaged a stellar $13,605 per theater and posted the strongest debut for an “R” rated movie since Wanted’s $50.9 million opening last June.  In general films have been holding up well so far this year, but there are some warning signs for Friday the 13th including a mediocre “B-“ Cinemascore and the fact that attendance declined from the film’s potent Friday debut.  Still, since it was produced for just $19 million, this horror remake is already in the black.

Weekend Box Office (Studio Estimates): Feb. 13-15, 2009

Another New Line/Warner Brothers film, the romantic comedy He’s Just Not That Into You, which topped the box office last weekend, took second place, suffering just a 29% decline and earning an estimated $19.6 million, while trouncing its debuting genre competitor, Confessions of a Shopaholic, which earned an estimated $15.4 million from an audience that was 75% female and almost evenly split between those over and under 25.

The thriller Taken, which stars Liam Neeson, dropped just 6% in its 3rd weekend and has to be considered the surprise hit of 2009 so far with $78 million earned in just 17 days.  Henry Selick’s stop-motion adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline also managed just a single digit decline, falling 9% in its second weekend while earning an estimated $15 million and finishing in fifth place.  Before it’s all over Coraline could earn close to $100 million at the domestic box office, and a potent run on DVD seems likely for a film that resonates with an audience that ranges from families to hipsters.

Buoyed by potent TV advertising campaign, Sony’s Paul Blart: Mall Cop actually gained 7.5% in its fifth weekend of release, bringing in an estimated $11.7 million.  The Kevin James comedy, which is the #1 film of 2009 so far, finished in sixth spot, ahead of the banking thriller The International, which earned an estimated $10 million from an audience that was primarily male (59%) and older (66% over 30).

Sony’s The Pink Panther 2, which opened disappointingly last weekend, dropped just 22% in its sophomore session.  While it still trails the first Steve Martin Pink Panther remake, its Presidents’ Day performance may indicate that it is finding its audience.  Meanwhile Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire continues its strong box office performance.  It now appears that the film will have passed the $100 million mark before the Oscar telecast, which could well provide Slumdog, which was nominated in nine categories, a major boost.

Summit Entertainment’s Push, a sci-fi action film with a comic book-like plot (it inspired a comic book release from Wildstorm), dropped just 32% in its second weekend, and has now earned nearly $20 million.