By JAKE COYLE
AP Film Writer
NEW YORK
On busy pre-Christmas weekend at the box office, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” held off a very different sequel, “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.”
Peter Jackson’s “Hobbit” sequel took in $31.5 million in its second weekend of release for Warner Bros., according to studio estimates Sunday. That topped Will Ferrell’s “Anchorman” sequel, which nevertheless opened strongly in second place. The Paramount Pictures comedy made $26.8 million over the three-day weekend and $40 million since opening Tuesday night.
The much-marketed “Anchorman 2” actually outperformed “The Hobbit” (which has now passed $300 million worldwide) on Friday, but failed to best it over Saturday and Sunday. But the $50 million comedy, which Paramount initially turned down, also suggested it will be more popular abroad than most comedies. It made $13.4 million in six international markets.
The 2004 original opened with $28.4 million, but only grossed $5.3 million internationally.
David O. Russell’s fictionalization of the 1970s Abscam investigation “American Hustle” earned a robust $19.1 million in its first week of nationwide expansion. The Sony Pictures film, starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence, got a boost from its co-leading seven Golden Globes nominations.
The pre-Christmas weekend is a sought-after release date, one that usually offers films especially good legs at the box office as moviegoers flood theaters over the coming weeks. The weekend box office was up nearly 30 percent over the same weekend last year.
But this year’s holiday frame will be particularly competitive. The crowded field of movie openings Wednesday includes Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street,” Ben Stiller’s “The Life of Walter Mitty,” the Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone comedy “Grudge Match,” the Justin Bieber documentary “Justin Bieber’s Believe” and Keanu Reeves’ “47 Ronin.”
One obvious casualty from the many options at the multiplexes was 20th Century Fox’s “Walking With Dinosaurs,” a 3-D attraction that hoped to draw moviegoers with digital dinosaurs. Made for $85 million, it fell flat with just $7.3 million over the weekend.
The family market has instead been cornered by Disney’s animated “Frozen,” which added $19.2 million over the weekend. In five weeks of release, it’s made $344 million worldwide.
The other Oscar-hopeful that went wide over the weekend, Disney’s making-of “Mary Poppins” tale “Saving Mr. Banks.” The film, starring Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks, made $9.3 million.
Spike Jonze’s acclaimed futuristic romance “Her,” starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlet Johansson, opened in limited release. It took in $361,000 over five days in three cities, good for a $60,000 screen average.
Despite some high-profile summer bombs, the 2013 box office is on track to narrowly surpass last year’s record box office of $10.8 billion, with one weekend to go in the year.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday:
1. “Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” $31.5 million.
2. “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues,” $26.8 million.
3. “Frozen,” $19.2 million.
4. “American Hustle,” $19.1 million.
5. “Saving Mr. Banks,” $9.3 million.
6. “Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” $8.8 million.
7. “Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas,” $8.5 million.
8. “Walking With Dinosaurs,” $7.3 million.
9. “Dhoom 3,” $3.3 million.
10. “Thor: The Dark World,” $1.3 million.
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Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.
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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jake_coyle
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