Weekend Box Office: Hobbit Holds Off Jack Reacher, This is 40 for First Place

By Chris Kavan - 12/24/12 at 02:46 AM CT

It was a big battle at the box office this weekend. Despite some heavy competition, no new release could claim the top spot. I'm guessing it will be a different story next week, but as for now, Middle Earth is still the top draw for audiences.

1) THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

It was another win for Peter Jackson - though the numbers have to be somewhat of a disappointment. Dropping a steep 57%, The Hobbit earned $36.7 million in its second week - bringing its total to $149.9 million. While the number is good, compared to Lord of the Rings: Return of the King ($190.8 million) and The Two Towers ($168.1 million), it's lagging behind. Plus, neither of those films had the benefit of 3D. If The Hobbit continues along this path, it's likely to end up with a lower gross than any of the previous LOTR films.

2) JACK REACHER

Tom Cruise did his best to live up as a radically different character compared to the novel, and managed a $15.6 million second place opening. Though that is less than the openings for Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol ($29.55 million) and Valkyrie ($21 million) - considering the Christmas timing, that number isn't too bad. Audiences also gave it an A-, meaning it has a chance to stick around and could near the $83 million total that Valkyrie brought in. The audience was mostly male (60%) and skewed older (76% over 25).

3) THIS IS 40

Judd Apatow's return to the big screen, catching up with some familiar faces first introduced in Knocked Up, drew in $12.03 million for third place. While not even half the total of Knocked Up's $30.7 million opening, it was a tougher sell to a Christmas audience, who only gave it a B- score. Still, ultimately it should hopefully be able to outgross Adatow's last film, Funny People ($51 million) before it ends its run.

4) RISE OF THE GUARDIANS

Dreamworks holiday-themed animated film continued to chug along, taking in $5.9 million (down just 17.4%) in fourth place in its fifth weekend of release. The film has taken in nearly $80 million since opening and should wind up over $90 million - and still has a slight chance to crack the $100 million mark - before its holiday cheer runs out.

5) LINCOLN

Once again, Steven Spielberg's held up quite well, dropping less than 20%. After seven weeks, the film has made $116.78 million - adding $5.6 million over the weekend. The nice box office could mean a lot come awards time.

Outside the top five: The Guild Trip, with Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand.opened to a meager $5.4 million (sixth place). It was the lowest opening ever for Rogen - though the numbers (60% female, 82% over 25) show that Streisand fans are most likely the crowd that drove this movie.

Proving the 3D conversion is going the way of the dinosaur, the re-release of Pixar's Monsters, Inc. only drew in $5.04 million (seventh place) - less than half of any other previous 3D release - and it's entire five-day run was less than what the Lion King 3D made on its opening day ($8.09 million). Maybe audiences are finally realized it's not worth it to pay 3D prices for a movie they can enjoy at home (in 3D if they want).

Life of Pi crossed the $75 million mark - taking in $3.8 million and winding up with $76.15 million total. In limited release, the hunt for Bin Laden drama Zero Dark Thirty had a very impressive $82,000 per-theater average (playing in just five theaters) and should mean good things for the potential Oscar-nominee when it expands to wide release Jan. 11, 2013.

You only have to wait a couple days for the new releases as Les Miserables, Django Unchained and Parental Guidance all drop on Christmas Day - a truly great gift (except for Parental Guidance - I would be returning that one for cash). It should be interesting to see which film gains the most from the buzz.

Comments

Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
  
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
  
Are you sure you want to delete this blog?