Ethan Hawke and Liam Neeson
Ethan Hawke and Liam Neeson appeared on Bravo's “Watch What Happens Live” with host Andy Cohen on Wednesday in an effort to promote their respective movies, “Sinister” and “Taken 2.” Bravo Screenshot

Liam Neeson has proven himself once again to be an incredibly bankable Hollywood star. His latest film “Taken 2” just made its debut at No. 1 on the weekend box-office charts, earning roughly $50 million during its three-day opening.

“Taken 2” sees Neeson reprise his role as an uber-badass, ex-CIA operative on the warpath, out to hunt down the people who abducted his family. The movie clearly resonated with audiences, earning more than twice as much as its predecessor did over its opening weekend.

For reference, the original “Taken” earned $24.7 million its opening weekend and ultimately grossed $145 million during its theatrical run.

In fact, “Taken 2” came extremely close to breaking records for an October opening, ultimately becoming the third-highest-grossing October opener ever, right behind “Paranormal Activity 3” ($52.6 million) and “Jackass 3D” ($50.4 million).

When you consider the fact that “Taken 2” is only one of the many action flicks in 2012 starring Neeson -- “Battleship,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “The Grey,” and “Wrath of the Titans” all feature the actor -- it adds up to one pretty great year for the 60-year-old star, professionally speaking.

However, some other older stars don’t appear to be doing as well as they used to. Tim Burton, director of such classic films as “Batman,” “Beetlejuice,” and, of course, “Edward Scissorhands” returned to cinemas with the stop-motion “Frankenweenie.” But the film made its debut at No. 5, earning only $11.5 million.

“Frankenweenie” opened behind “Hotel Transylvania,” “Pitch Perfect,” and “Looper,” all of which are in their second weeks of release.

Check out a complete list of the top 10 box-office winners this weekend here, courtesy of Box Office Mojo.

1. “Taken 2” -- $50.0 million

2. “Hotel Transylvania” -- $26.3 million

3. “Pitch Perfect” -- $14.7 million

4. “Looper” -- $12.2 million

5. “Frankenweenie” -- $11.5 million

6. “End of Watch” -- $4.0 million

7. “Trouble With the Curve” -- $3.9 million

8. “House at the End of the Street” -- $3.7 million

9. “The Master” -- $1.8 million

10. “Finding Nemo” (3-D re-release) -- $1.6 million