by Matt Marshall
Catching Fire shattered the November opening record last weekend with its $158.0 million debut, but that was just the start of its weekend box office feast. In its sophomore weekend, The Hunger Games sequel surpassed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as the highest grossing 3-day total over Thanksgiving weekend. A $74.5 million ensured a first place finish for Catching Fire with animated newcomer Frozen not far behind.
Disney’s latest animated film Frozen also broke records this weekend with its $66.7 million opening. That marks an all-time high for the studio outside of its Pixar brand. The animated musical also became the highest-grossing film to debut over Thanksgiving weekend. The record was previous held by Toy Story 2 ($57.4 million) in 1999.
After falling over 50% last weekend, both Thor: The Dark World and The Best Man Holiday leveled out over the holiday frame. The Marvel superhero film starring Chris Hemsworth garnered another $11.1 million while the holiday comedy added another $7.9 million to its total. Jason Statham’s Homefront debuted in fifth place with $7 million opening. Remaining newcomers Black Nativity and Spike Lee’s Oldboy came up short of the Top 5 this weekend with $3.8 and $0.9 million respectively.
Note: These #’s are based on Sunday’s projections and can change with Monday’s actual #’s.
#1 – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (1)
$74.5 million / $296.5 million total
Any doubt that Catching Fire wouldn’t bulldoze through the $400 million milestone should be put aside now. After 10 days of release, The Hunger Games sequel is currently $48 million ahead of the 2012 film. Catching Fire is expected to cross $300 million on Monday. The days of Iron Man 3 as 2013’s top film are numbered.
#2 – Frozen (22)
$66.7 million / $93.4 million total
Outside of Pixar, Disney animated films have never opened above $50 million. Yet Blue Sky, DreamWorks and Illumination Entertainment have done so repeatedly. However, Disney’s come awfully close the last couple of years (Wreck-It Ralph (2012) $49.0 million, Tangled (2010) $48.7 million). That all changed this weekend with Frozen’s $66.7 million debut. Marketed as the best animated film since 1994’s The Lion King, families rushed out to see if this icy fairy tale lived up to the hype. An 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes and A+ CinemaScore grade point to yes.
#3 – Thor: The Dark World (2)
$11.1 million / $186.7 million total
After a heavy hit last weekend, the God of Thunder stabilized over the Thanksgiving frame dipping a mere 21%. That’s just the start of good news for the Marvel superhero. Four weeks in and Thor: The Dark World has surpassed Thor’s entire $181.0 million run. The Dark World is nearly guaranteed a $200 million finish in the coming weeks.
#4 – The Best Man Holiday (3)
$7.9 million / $63.4 million total
The Best Man Holiday continues to march alongside Thor: The Dark World. Dropping 32% over the holiday weekend, The Best Man Holiday made up some ground after last week’s 58.5% decline. The holiday film starring Morris Chestnut and Taye Diggs still has its sights on an $80 million run.
#5 – Homefront (NR)
$7.0 million / $9.8 million total
Outside of The Expendables franchise, Jason Statham has been consistently opening under $10 million. Homefront is no exception to that trend, opening with a $7.0 million debut. With Out of the Furnace due out on Friday, Homefront will have a short stay on the top charts.
Opening Next Week: Out of the Furnace (Wednesday, expanding Friday), Inside Llewyn Davis (limited)
Source: Box Office Mojo
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Matt Marshall is a YouTube movie reviewer who hosts MNMreviews. He has a B.A. in Communications/Journalism from St. John Fisher College and resides in Rochester, NY.
