"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" and "Frozen" dominated the holiday season box office.
"The Hobbit" took first place for the third straight weekend and has already picked up $190 million at the box office. However, the total is still behind the original installment, which had already picked up $230 million by the third weekend. Expect a total of $250 million for "Desolation of Smaug" by the end of its run.
In second place, "Frozen" dominated with $28.8 million and has already scored a solid $248 million at the domestic box office. The movie is now on track to make $300 million by the end of its run.
Meanwhile, "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" scored third place with an estimated $20.2 million. Having already made $83.7 million, the sequel will pass the original installment, which made $85.3 million, in the next two days.
Oscar contender "American Hustle" took home fourth place with an estimated $19.6 million and brought its gross to $60 million. With promising word of mouth buzz and Oscar nominations expected, the film is on track to pass the $100 million mark.
In fifth, "The Wolf of Wall Street" made a disappointing $18.5 million for a total of $34.3 million in its first five days. The movie is expected to receive Oscar nominations, which could help boost its box office. However, with controversial subject matter and bad word of mouth, the film could continue to suffer.
The other new releases also underperformed with "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" taking the seventh place. The movie made $13 million and brought its five-day gross to $25.6 million.
Keanu Reeves' "47 Ronin" also bombed and made an estimated $9.9 million in three days. The movie has only made $20.6 million in five days and Universal is already expecting to lose $175 million from the film's budget.
"Grudge Match" also disappointed with $7.3 million in three days. The movie, however, has only made $13.4 million in its first five days.
Meanwhile, Justin Bieber's popularity waned as his latest movie only scored $2 million over the three-day weekend. The gross is $26 million less than when the pop star's first movie came out in 2010.
The Weinstein Company had mixed results with its two new releases. "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" opened nationwide after having been in limited release for a number of weeks. However, the film only scored $2.4 million. With so much hype and marketing the company has done for the film, the opening is a complete disaster. With no Oscar buzz and pundits expecting the film to be completely snubbed from awards, the movie is unlikely to find a theatrical audience.
On the other hand, "August: Osage County" opened in five theaters and made $179,000 for an estimated of $35,000 theater average. The movie has a lot of buzz and is expected to open nationwide in January.
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