While Hollywood continued to wrestle with the fallout of the Sony hacking scandal, the weekend box office offered the solace of a moviegoing truism: Hobbits sell.
Peter Jackson’s final instalment of his six JRR Tolkien adventures, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, debuted with US$56.2 million over the weekend and US$90.6 million since opening Wednesday, according to studio estimates yesterday. For an industry reeling from the cancellation of The Interview and terrorist threats against moviegoers, Middle-earth provided reliable refuge.
Aided by popularity on Imax screens, The Battle of the Five Armies dominated the pre-Christmas frame with a five-day haul similar to the franchise’s previous entry, The Desolation of Smaug, even if its actual debut weekend was notably less than both prior “Hobbit” movies. In its second week of release overseas, Warner Bros’ Five Armies added US$105.5 million to bring its two-week global total past US$350 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through yesterday at US and Canadian cinemas, according to Rentrak: (Where available, the latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released today.)
1. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies, US$56.2 million (US$105.5 million international)
2. Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb, US$17.3 million (US$10.8 million international)
3. Anni: US$16.3 million (US$1 million international)
4. Exodus: Gods and Kings, US$8.1 million (US$7.6 million international)
5. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, US$7.8 million. (US$9.3 million international)
6. Wild, US$4.2 million.
7. Top Five, US$3.6 million.
8. Big Hero 6, US$3.6 million (US$11.5 million international)
9. Penguins of Madagascar, US$3.5 million (US$16.5 million international).
10. PK, US$3.5 million (US$22.1 million international).