Although they kicked-off with a bang on Christmas Day, neither Les Misérables nor Django Unchained could unseat The Hobbit from the throne on this final weekend of 2012 and believe me, the latter came close. The first installment of the Peter Jackson Trilogy earns $31.5 million this weekend in North America from 4,100 theatres and worldwide it already has grossed over $600 million for Warner Bros.
Quentin Tarantino‘s latest Opus, Django Unchained, debuts in second with $31 million for The Weinstein Co. and Alliance Films, already being touted potentially as the Auteur Filmmaker’s highest-grossing Film ever. With final numbers still come in, it is quite possible we might see a reverse in the order of finish tomorrow with this over-performing Oscar Contender on-top. Since Christmas Day, the Action/Thriller/Western/Drama was earned a stellar $64 million. Critics in addition to audiences are loving the Flick, earning a stellar 89% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer.
Tom Hooper‘s Les Misérables started strong on Christmas Day earning $18 million, tailing-off a little since, but the $61 million Musical from Universal Pictures still performs exceedingly well in third with $27.4 million. With overall positive reviews at 72% on the Tomatometer, audiences worldwide are responding and in only a few days, it has grossed $68 million domestically.
Parental Guidance might not have gotten great reviews (17% on Rotten Tomatoes), but the Holiday–Comedy opens with $14.4million this weekend for 20th Century Fox in fourth, landing just a head of Jack Reacher starring Tom Cruise, in fifth with $14 million in its second week.
This is 40 gave Moviegoers a more lighthearted option this Christmas and gets rewarded with $12.5 million this weekend, already surpassing its production cost of $35 million in two weeks of release.
Meanwhile, Disney‘s Lincoln still is going strong in its eighth week with $7.5 million from 1,966 theatres at seventh spot. Rise of the Guardians in its fifth week rounds-out the Top Ten with $5 million from Paramount Pictures.
Unbelieveable! Skyfall, in its fifth week of release, climbs to the top of the Box Office this weekend, usurping the three-week reign of The Twlight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. Earning $10.8 million on a tepid weekend at the theatres, the latest in the James Bond Franchise has made over $261 million now domestically for Sony Pictures.
Paramount Pictures’ Rise of the Guardian rises to second spot this weekend earning $10.4 million in its third week of release, just ahead of Breaking Dawn – Part 2, which slips to third spot in this its fourth week in theatres with $8.9 million this weekend, closing-in on the $300 million mark domestically for Summit Entertainment/eOne Films.
Lincoln still continues to go strong in fourth spot for Disney with $8.8 million, with tons of Oscar buzz driving Moviegoers to the theatres to see dual Oscar Winners respectively, Sally Field and Daniel Day-Lewis.
This weekend’s sole debut in the Top Ten comes from Playing for Keeps, the Rom-Com starring Gerard Butler from FilmDistrict/VVS Films, earning $6.1 million from 2,837 theatres. Critics unfortunately weren’t charmed, tallying-in at 2% on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans however are responding, with the Film making the grade with a B+ via CinemaScore.
The Weinstein Co.’s Killing them Softly meanwhile, rounds out the Top Ten with $2.8 million in its second week. Reviews overall have been solid, maintaining a 76% on the Tomatometer.
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