Box Office Analysis & Recap: 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies' wins Third Weekend; 'The Woman in Black' Underperforms
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" won the box office, beating out newcomer "The Woman in Black 2."
"The Hobbit" won its third weekend with $21.9 million. In three weeks, the film has made $220 million and is slated to end its run with at least $270 million. However, it is still questionable whether or not the film can reach the $300 million mark.
In second place, "Into the Woods" made $19 million and brought its total to $91 million. The film has benefited from the popularity of Stephen Sondheim's musical and from Disney's marketing campaign. Expect "Into the Woods" to end its run with $130 million.
In third place, Angelina Jolie's "Unbroken" brought in an estimated $18.3 million. The war drama has already grossed $87.8 million and is continuing to play strong with multiple audiences. Although reviews were mixed and the movie will not be competing at the Golden Globes this upcoming weekend, word-of-mouth has been strong and Jolie's popularity has been an important asset to the film's success. If "Unbroken" obtains Oscar nominations in a few weeks, the movie could close above $120 million.
In fourth place, "The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death" debuted with $15.15 million. The film was off 27 percent from the original installment, which debuted with $20 million. The film scored negative reviews and lacked a huge marketing campaign. With this weekend's lackluster opening, the horror flick is unlikely to make a huge splash at the box office especially with such a crowded slate in the next few weeks.
"Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tombs" continued to resonate with family audiences. Down 28.5 percent, the film made $14.4 million and brought its total to $89 million. The film is likely to finish over the $100 million after a lackluster openign weekend. While it will definitely not get close to the original two, this third installment has performed better than most initially expected.
"Annie" added another $11.4 million and brought its total gross to $72 million. The film could get a boost this weekend especially since it is nominated for Golden Globes.
The Weinstein Company continued to roll out "The Imitation Game" and made an estimated $8 million. To date, the film has grossed $30 million and is outperforming the Weinstein Company's previous film "The King's Speech." If the movie gets numerous Oscar nominations than "The Imitation Game" is likely to make over $100 million by the end of its run.
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1" added $7.7 million and brought its total to $323 million. The movie is still on track to become the highest grossing film of 2014 and out gross "Guardians of the Galaxy."
In limited release, "Selma" crossed the $2 million mark. Currently only playing in 22 theaters, the film made $645,000 over the weekend. The Martin Luther King biopic is opening wide next weekend and is currently tracking well. It is likely this film could be a breakout indie this year.
Also continuing its monumental run is "American Sniper." The movie is currently playing in four theaters but it has already made $2.1 million. The Clint Eastwood directed drama is slated to open wide on Jan. 16 and based on limited release, the film could open above $27 million in wide release. That would follow in the footsteps of such recent war dramas as "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Lone Survivor."
The new indie release of the weekend was "A Most Violent Year." Playing in four theaters, the film opened with $188,000 which equivalent is to $47,000 per theater average. The Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain starrer opened on New Year's Eve and has already made $300,000 in five days. A24 is expanding the drama in the next few weeks and is expected to open wide in Jan. 31. However, that could change if the film fails to get Oscar nominations.