Winning the box office for the third weekend in a row is The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies with $21.9 million, according to studio estimates from Rentrak.
The final installment of the fantasy trilogy debuted on December 17th and has gathered over $700 million globally, $220.8 million of that from domestic sales . According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film has received mixed reviews, with a 61 percent “fresh” rating from critics and a 77 percent from moviegoers.
Regardless, Battle remains one of Peter Jackson’s highest earning movies, following 2012’s An Unexpected Journey with $303 million and 2013’s The Desolation of Smaug with $258.4 million. Both films have spent three consecutive weeks as the box office victor, just like Battle has accomplished.
Holdovers Into the Woods and Unbroken received less than $20 million in their second weekend, dropping about 40 percent. Rob Marshall’s Disney musical managed to gather $19.1 million and placed in second place at the box office. With the presence of Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp, the star-studded film has accumulated $91.2 million domestically. Following in third place is Angelina Jolie’s WWII drama with an additional $18.4 million and a domestic total of $87.8 million.
The weekend’s other wide release was Relativity’s The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death, a film in which many analysts predicted would gross no more than $9 million to $11 million. The horror flick surprisingly exceeded all expectations and placed fourth at the box office with $15.1 million across 2,602 locations.
In comparison to it’s 2012 predecessor, The Woman in Black, Angel of Death grossed somewhat less, likely due to the absence of Daniel Radcliffe as the film’s lead star. Audience members, who were 53 percent female and 25 percent under the age of 25, gave the film a C minus CinemaScore, while critics gave it a 26 percent “fresh” rating.
“This is a fantastic way to kick off the New Year,” said Relativity distribution chief Kyle Davies. “Younger moviegoers are still out of school, and they were looking for something just for them, and not for families.”
Rounding out the top five is Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, the latest family-friendly favorite with $14.5 million. The film, which stars Ben Stiller, cost $127 million to produce and has successfully amassed $137.5 million since premiering.
Top 10 Films at Weekend Box Office: January 2-4
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – $21.9 million
- Into the Woods – $19.1 million
- Unbroken – $18.4 million
- The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death – $15.1 million
- Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb – $14.5 million
- Annie – $11.4 million
- The Imitation Game – $8.1 million
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 – $7.7 million
- The Gambler – $6.3 million
- Big Hero 6 – $4.8 million
