LOS ANGELES (AP) — Over
the bustling post-Christmas weekend, Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The
Desolation of Smaug" continued to lead the box office, landing in the
No. 1 slot for the third weekend in a row.
The Warner Bros. prequel earned $30 million,
bringing the domestic gross to $190.3 million, according to studio
estimates on Sunday.
Disney's animated adventure, "Frozen," took
the No. 2 position, earning $28.9 million over the weekend and $248.4
million domestically after six weeks at the multiplex.
"'Frozen'
probably had the best release date of the year because they positioned
themselves to completely dominate the family film marketplace over the
holidays," said box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian of Rentrak. "To be
No. 2 in its sixth week is a total reflection of that."
Reigning
box-office champion "Hobbit," ''really contributed to this record box
office that we have at the end of the year," he added. "With 'Hobbit'
and 'Frozen,' we are talking $450 million at the box office between
those two films alone. They are absolutely killing it here at the end of
the year."
This year is poised to be a banner one at the box
office, and it is projected to surpass 2012's $10.8 billion by nearly 1
percent, making this the highest annual take ever.
Paramount held
two slots in the top five over the weekend, with the comedies "Anchorman
2: The Legend Continues," starring Will Farrell, and "The Wolf of Wall
Street," featuring Leonardo DiCaprio. Sequel "Anchorman 2" came in at
No. 3 with $20.2 million, and Martin Scorsese's dark comedy, "The Wolf
of Wall Street," took the No. 5 spot, earning $19 million after opening
at No. 2 on Christmas Day with $9.15 million.
"Some people are
calling the performance of 'Anchorman' a bit of a disappointment, but it
will be a $100 million gross at the end of the day," Dergarabedian
said. "All of the marketing certainly raised its profile. It will have a
good showing."
"Anchorman" met studio expectations over the Christmas holiday.
"We
are thrilled and we feel the movie will play well in theaters for a
while," said Don Harris, president of distribution at Paramount. "The
first film brought in $84 million, and this one will be well north of
that."
At nearly three hours long, "Wolf" does not have as many
showings in a day as the rest of the pictures currently in theaters, yet
it's holding its own at the multiplex. "The movie is very much out
there in terms of content, and that's a good thing," added Harris. "It's
different than anything else in the marketplace. I think people are
surprised that it's a lot of fun."
At
No. 4, Sony Pictures corruption saga, "American Hustle," made $19.6
million. David O. Russell's entertaining take on the Abscam
investigation of the 1970s, starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer
Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, has grossed $60 million domestically and
gained seven Golden Globe nominations.
Oscar hopeful "Saving Mr.
Banks," Disney's making of "Mary Poppins" story, starring Emma Thompson
and Tom Hanks, came in at No. 6, making $14.3 million.
Fox's "The
Secret Life of Walter Mitty," Ben Stiller's dramatic turn, which he also
directed, took seventh place, earning $13 million. "'Mitty' is a
feel-good film and with the combination of our excellent exit polls and
audience friendly rating at PG-13, I think we are going to play well
into the New Year," said Chris Aronson, president of distribution at
Twentieth Century Fox. "This has been an incredibly fragmented and
healthy marketplace as we're expected to finish with a record year."
And
despite lackluster reviews, Keanu Reeves' martial-arts film "47 Ronin"
managed to slide into the top 10 at No. 9 with $9.9 million in its
opening weekend.
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This film image released by Paramount Pictures shows Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort in a scene …
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and
Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, latest
international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final
domestic figures will be released Monday:
1."The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," $30 million ($98.3 million international).
2."Frozen," $28.9 million ($50.5 million international).
3."Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues," $20.2 million ($8 million international).
4."American Hustle," $19.6 million ($1.7 million international).
5."The Wolf of Wall Street," $19 million ($6.5 million international).
6."Saving Mr. Banks," $14.3 million ($300,000 international).
7."The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," $13 million ($27.2 million international).
8."The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," $10.2 million ($9 million international).
9."47 Ronin," $9.9 million ($13.8 million international).
10."Tyler Perry's a Madea Christmas," $7.4 million.
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Estimated
weekend ticket sales Friday through Sunday at international theaters
(excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by
Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:
1."The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," $98.3 million.
2."Frozen," $50.5 million.
3."The Secret Life of Mitty," $27.2 million.
4."Police Story 2013," $18 million.
5."47 Ronin," $13.8 million.
6."The Physician," $13 million.
7."Personal Tailor," $12.5 million.
8."Walking With Dinosaurs," $12.3 million.
9."The Attorney," $12 million.
10."The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," $9 million.
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Universal
and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony,
Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony
Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are
owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC;
20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner
Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a
group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors
and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.;
IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media
LLC.
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Follow AP Film Writer Jessica Herndon on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/SomeKind
