Pulling off a huge upset, Nic Cage’s Knowing easily took number one at the box office, taking in $24.8 million to second-place I Love You, Man‘s $18. Elsewhere, number five Watchmen‘s total climbed to $98.1 million, which is only slightly ahead of number nine Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail (with $87 million total so far).  Yikes.  But perhaps the biggest surprise?  Someone liked Knowing.  And not just Pete Hammond.  Ebert says..

“Knowing” is among the best science-fiction films I’ve seen — frightening, suspenseful, intelligent and, when it needs to be, rather awesome.

…Really?  What does it all mean?  Will I have to go back to living in a world where Nic Cage is a respected actor rather than a guy who wears a bear suit and has ridiculous hair?  Because I won’t do it. WHY ISN’T HE BURNED? WHYISN’THEBURNEDWHYISN’THEBURNED??  …What’s that?  Okay, maybe Ebert’s just smoking dope on this one.  Phew.

(full top ten after jump)

1 – Knowing (Summit) – $24.8, ($24.8)
2 – I Love You, Man (Dreamworks) – $18, ($18)
3 – Duplicity (Universal) – $14.4, ($14.4)
4 – Race to Witch Mountain (Disney) – $13, ($44.7)
5 – Watchmen (Warner Bros.) – $6.7, ($98.1)
6 – The Last House on the Left (Universal) – $5.9, ($24.1)
7 – Taken (Fox) – $4.10 ($1,541) – $133.14
8 – Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight) – $2.70 ($1,306) – $137.20
9 – Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail (Lionsgate) – $2.51 ($1,368) – $87.21
10 – Coraline (Focus) – $2.14 ($1,498) – $72.80

Source = entertainment weakly