There wasn’t much on offer at the North American box office this past weekend, but it was quality over quantity. A return to Middle Earth once again headline the festive opening of season, while a certain other cross-dresser made a Christmas return. OH LERD!
Arriving a year after the first film in the trilogy, The Desolation of Smaug opened up to a $73.6 million take, which wile impressive, is down 13% from the first Hobbit film that made $84.6 million in 2012. Still, it’s a damn good start, and this opening makes the Hobbit sequel a firm favourite to make almost as much cash as the first film. Following closely behind was the latest Tyler Perry Madea film which opened up to a $16 million take that proved once and for all that if there is a lerd in heaven, this is his punishment for not attending church on a Sunday.
Compared to previous Madea films though, the Christmas version of the milked out franchise now holds the third-lowest opening for a Tyler Perry film, and the lowest ever opening for a Madea branded film. Last year’s Madea’s Witness Protection still managed to make $25.4 million on opening, but if this film can get past the $50 million mark, it’ll be a win for Perry financially. Here’s how everyone else did at the North American box office:
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – $73.6 Million
- Frozen – $22.1 Million
- Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas – $16 Million
- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – $13.1 Million
- Thor: The Dark World – $2.7 Million
- Out of the furnace – $2.3 Million
- Delivery Man – $1.8 Million
- Philomena – $1.7 Million
- The Book Thief – $1.67 Million
- Homefront – $1.63 Million
Top ten departures this week included Dallas Buyers Club and The Best Man Holiday. The latter film has been a particular success, marking a years long gap since the first film that earned $69.8 million off of a $17 million budget. A sequel is already in the works, so expect that to get the fast track.
Last Updated: December 17, 2013
