Liam Neeson in 'Taken 2'

Neeson’s done it again! ‘Taken 2,’ the sequel to his 2008 thriller, is expected to top this weekend’s box office after a strong opening on Friday.

The Hollywood Reporter speculates about Neeson’s latest flick and its bid for box office champion this weekend.

On Friday, the film’s opening day in the US, ‘Taken 2’ took in an estimated $17.3 million, nearly securing its place as top spot for the weekend. THR is projecting that the film could take in a very strong $45 million by the weekend’s close.

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The original 2008 ‘Taken’ is described as a sleeper box-office hit by THR, one that helped to reignite Neeson’s film career by bringing in a global $226.8 million, with $24.7 million earned on its opening weekend  in early January 2009.

Its main competition for the weekend is ‘Pitch Perfect,’ ‘Frankenweenie,’ and ‘Hotel Transylvania,’ which are being projected to bring in somewhere under $20 million apiece for the weekend.

In ‘Taken 2,’ Neeson teams up again with Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen. This time, the story is set in Istanbul where Neeson’s ex-wife is kidnapped while his daughter goes on the run.