Peter Jackson’s ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ tops the North American box office for the third consecutive weekend with $21.9 million; new horror entry ‘The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death’ opens in fourth place with $15.1 million.
Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies topped the North American chart for the third consecutive weekend, earning $21.9 million to jump the $200 million mark and finish Sunday with a domestic total of $220.8 million. Overseas, the final film in the trilogy also continued to dominate as it crossed $500 million, earning $52.5 million from 65 markets for a running global total of $722.9 million. The Hobbit opens in China on January 23, which should help push the New Line and MGM film to $700 million internationally.
Disney musical Into the Woods came in second place for its second weekend out, taking in $19.1 million for a domestic total of $91.2 million and early worldwide haul of $97 million.
Angelina Jolie's Unbroken, about World War II hero Louis Zamperini, placed third for its sophomore weekend, grossing $18.4 million for distributor Universal for a domestic total of $87.8 million.
New horror entry The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death came in at number four with $15.1 million. The first The Woman in Black, made for $15 million, debuted to $20.9 million in February 2012, ultimately earning $127.7 million worldwide. Produced by Exclusive Media, Hammer Films and Entertainment One, Relativity Media acquired U.S. rights to Women in Black 2 for $1 million.
In its third weekend, Fox's Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb reteaming director Shawn Levy and actor Ben Stiller, rounded out the top five with $14.5 million for a domestic total of $89.7 million. Internationally, the threequel grossed $26 million from 56 markets for foreign total of $92.4 million and worldwide total of $182.1 million.
Sony's family entry Annie, also in its third weekend, earning another $11.4 million this past weekend, pushing the film’s domestic total to $72.6 million. The musical placed number six domestically, while earning another $4.2 million overseas from its first 21 markets for a foreign tally of $16.9 million and worldwide total of $89.5 million.
The Weinstein Co.'s The Imitation Game sped past the $30 million mark as it moved up the North American box office chart to number seven, grossing $8.1 million from only 754 theaters for a total of $30.8 million. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, the Alan Turing biopic is also making waves overseas, grossing upwards of $7.4 million over the weekend as it opened in six more markets for an early foreign total of $32.9 million and worldwide haul of $63.7 million.
Lionsgate’s YA adaptation The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 came in eighth place domestically for a North American total of $323.9 million and worldwide tally of $695.5 million.
Paramount’s The Gambler, directed by Rupert Wyatt and starring Mark Wahlberg, fell to ninth place in its second weekend with $6.3 million for a domestic total of $27.6 million.
Disney's Big Hero 6 made a reappearance on the top 10 chart, earning $4.8 million for a domestic total of $211.3 million. Overseas, where the Marvel-inspired animated feature has been rolling out slowly, Big Hero 6 grossed $20.2 million from 53 markets for an international total of $167.4 million and global tally of $378.7 million.
Elsewhere, Bollywood blockbuster P.K. has become the number one Bollywood title of all time in North America, earning $9 million to date from fewer than 300 theaters, as well as the top-grossing release of all time in India with $65.2 million. UTV, owned by Disney, is distributing the movie, which to date has made $86.2 million globally.
DreamWorks Animation’s Penguins of Madagascar added $23 million from 43 markets this weekend, opening to $6 million in South Korea and $3.7 million in Australia. The animated spinoff, which will be expanding to an additional 14 markets over the next two months, has now earned $192.6 million internationally and $270.7 million worldwide.
Box office numbers were obtained on boxofficemojo.com.
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
