Weekend Box Office Report: ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ Rises to the Top
If it's set in Middle-earth, it's going to open at No. 1.
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" was No. 1 at the movie box-office over the weekend.
Film | Weekend | Per Screen | ||
1 | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | $73,675,000 | $18,877 | $73,675,000 |
2 | Frozen | $22,184,000 (-29.8) | $5,970 | $164,388,000 |
3 | A Madea Christmas | $16,000,000 | $7,293 | $16,000,000 |
4 | The Hunger Games: Catching Fire | $13,150,000 (-49.8) | $3,691 | $356,982,000 |
5 | Thor: The Dark World | $2,700,000 (-43.9) | $1,193 | $198,125,000 |
6 | Out of the Furnace | $2,320,000 (-55.6) | $1,104 | $9,468,000 |
7 | Delivery Man | $1,872,000 (-50.0) | $917 | $27,995,000 |
8 | Philomena | $1,765,000 (-20.0) | $2,103 | $11,019,000 |
9 | The Book Thief | $1,675,000 (-36.2) | $1,446 | $14,877,000 |
10 | Homefront | $1,637,000 (-52.3) | $778 | $18,438,000 |
Peter Jackson's latest fantasy adventure opened to $73 million, which is higher than any of the openings for the original "Lord of the Rings" trilogy films.
Last year, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" opened with $84 million.
"Frozen" was in second place, with a 29 percent drop to a weekend gross of $22 million. With $164 million in the bank, the animated musical is on track to hit $200 million.
"A Madea Christmas" opened in third place with $16 million.
"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" continues to perform well a month into its release, grossing $13 million for a $356 million total. In fifth place was "Thor the Dark World," and is now close to $200 million.
"Out of the Furnace" grossed $2 million and "Delivery Man" $1 million.
Other top 10 finishers for the weekend include "Philomena," which has now grossed $11 million; "The Book Thief," with $14 million to date; and "Homefront," with $18 million in box-office receipts since it opened.