This weekend, there was one film to rule them all – three weeks running now.
Sorry, “one ring” is the wrong franchise, but still the right family of films at the top of the box office this weekend. The third installment of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit franchise, The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies, easily went there and back again, as many had expected, but what other films would round out the top 5?
Could we see an upset by an unheralded sequel to a beloved play about ghosts and women wearing black?
Follow me after the jump to find out of there was any shocks this past weekend!
Well, it may not have lasted as long or had as many “endings” as The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, but The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies was the shortest of the three “Hobbit” films and easily the most enjoyable.
The conclusion of the J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy series continued to resonate with audiences. Perhaps a slower burn than previous films in the franchise, The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies has still earned nearly $221 million in domestic receipts and over $500 million overseas – a huge success no matter which way you look at it and good enough for a current fifth position among 2014 releases. It’s expected to overtake the 2nd spot overall next weekend, putting it ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy, so you know its done well.
Perhaps the biggest surprise this weekend came from The Woman In Black 2: Angel of Death – which had no Daniel Radcliffe to attract cinemagoers. We didn’t even have the film in our Top 5 predictions, so to see that it made just over $15 million is a bit of a small nod to a thriller that really punched above its weight class. Maybe everyone just wanted a few scares this holiday season? Don’t expect it to be anywhere near the Top 5 next week – but a good financial success nonetheless.
In any case, here were the predictions:
1) The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies – $21 million
2) Into the Woods – $18 million
3) Unbroken – $16 million
4) Night At The Museum: Secret Of the Tomb – $15 million
5) Annie – $11 million
And here’s how everything turned out:
1) The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies – $21 million
2) Into the Woods – $18 million
3) Unbroken – $16 million
4) The Woman In Black 2: Angel of Death – $15.1 million
5) Night At The Museum: Secret Of the Tomb – $15 million
This coming week sees the release of the third installment in Liam Neeson’s Taken franchise, which should help to sell large boxes of popcorn at your local cinema.
Be back on Friday and check out our box office predictions for that film as well as the others that will make up the Top 5.
