Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)

Paul Blart: Mall Cop is a 2009 American action comedy film directed by Steve Carr, written by Kevin James and Nick Bakay, and produced by James, Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo, Todd Garner, and Barry Bernardi. It stars James as the titular character Paul Blart, with Jayma Mays, Keir O'Donnell, Bobby Cannavale, Stephen Rannazzisi and Shirley Knight in supporting roles. The film tells the story of Paul Blart, a single dad and a bumbling mall security guard, who finds himself in the middle of a heist and the only person in position to rescue hostages. Filming began in February 2008 with a majority of the shooting taking place at the Burlington Mall in Burlington, Massachusetts; it was produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions and in association with Relativity Media.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop was released in the United States on January 16, 2009, by Sony Pictures Releasing through its Columbia Pictures label. The film grossed $186 million worldwide against a production budget of $26 million, but was not well received by critics, while James' performance was generally praised. A sequel titled Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 was released in 2015.