It might not have won the Christmas Day box office battle, but “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” is the frontrunner to win the Christmas weekend war.
Last week’s box office winner led Friday with $15.7 million in receipts. That gave it the edge over new releases “Unbroken” and “Into the Woods,” which followed with $12.3 million and $12.2 million, respectively.
“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” claimed fourth with $7.4 million, while “Annie” closed out the top five on the strength of $6.3 million.
Enduring “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” moved past the $300 million mark thanks to its $3.6 million Friday. “The Gambler” followed in seventh place with $3.4 million. Available on 747 screens, “The Imitation Game” grabbed eighth with $2.8 million.
— Still on only 331 screens, Sony’s buzzworthy “The Interview” was good for just over $600,000 on Friday. After two days (including Christmas Day and a Friday), its performance is on par with that of “Veronica Mars,” which launched on 291 screens this past spring. Considering the buzz and the fact that this was originally eyed as major wide release, such a modest performance is nothing about which to write home.
