"Exodus: Gods and Kings" won the box office beating out Chris Rock's "Top Five." However, it was Paul Thomas Anderson's "Inherent Vice" that surprised in limited release.

The 20th Century Fox film, based on the Bible and starring Christian Bale, made $24 million in 3,503 theaters. The box office was lower than expected because of bad reviews and a controversial casting choice that had audiences enraged. However, "Exodus" goes into the holiday season with a formidable opening that could help the giant blockbuster recoup its budget.

In second place, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1" added $13.2 million to its disappointing box office. To date, the film has made $277 million, which is still behind the original installments. The movie has yet to crack the $300 million mark, and it seems like the film will have a hard time doing so.

In third place, "Penguins of Madagascar" continued to have legs and made $7.3 million. The animated flick has now made $58 million and could be helped with holiday season. However, it is unlikely the feature will cross the $100 million mark.

"Top Five" debuted at No. 4. After having premiered at the Toronto Film Festival to rave reviews, it only made $7.2 million. The film was originally expected to be a big awards player, but its lack of Golden Globe nominations was detrimental. Nevertheless, it should still have a good run during the Holiday season.

"Big Hero 6" continued to hold well and made another $6.1 million. After six weeks, the Disney film has made $185 million and will definitely get to the $200 million mark by the end of its run.

Also in its sixth week, "Interstellar" continued to hold well and made $5.5 million. However, the Christopher Nolan picture has only made $166 million, and it is still questionable whether the film will actually made the $200 million mark.

A number of Golden Globe nominees performed well because of the word-of-mouth and nominations. "The Theory of Everything" fell 4 percent and made $2.5 million. The drama has already made $17 million and is performing better than Focus Features 2013 Oscar nominee "Dallas Buyers Club."

Expanding into 115 theaters, "Wild" made $1.5 million in its second frame and has already made $2.4 million. The movie starring Reese Witherspoon was nominated for Best Actress at the Globes and currently looks like it will be a big surprise at the box office.

Despite dropping theater count, "Birdman" was up 15 percent and made $1.3 million. The seven-time Golden Globe nominee has already made $20.7 million and will likely continue to surge if it continues to perform well among awards circles.

The Weinstein Company expanded "The Imitation Game" into 25 theaters and made $875,000 for a $35,000 per theater average. The movie has made $2 million in three weeks. After scoring five Golden Globe Nominations, the Weinstein Company plans on expanding it further next week.

Opening in five theaters, Warner Bros' "Inherent Vice" made $330,000. That translated to a solid $66,000 per theater average. However, it is a bit weaker than Paul Thomas Anderson's last film "The Master." Back in 2012, "The Master opened to $736,311 in five theaters. The difference between both films is that "Inherent Vice" has not obtained the same enthusiasm as "The Master" and reviews have been a bit mixed. Additionally, "The Master" opened in September during a time when the marketplace was not as crowded and there was not much competition for prestige films. "Inherent Vice" is expected to open wide in January, and with a major studio backing it, it could be a bigger hit than "The Master" ultimately was.

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