The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | featured news

It took Leatherface and his chainsaw to chase tiny hobbit Bilbo Baggins out of the top spot at the box office.

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" continues to rule them all at the box office, staying on top for a third-straight week with nearly $33 million....

...Remaining at the top of the charts is The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, earning $36.7 million this weekend for an impressive total of over $149.8 million so far (numbers from Box Office Mojo). Though its earnings have dipped significantly since last weekend, it’s fair to say that it’ll remain in theaters—and perhaps at the top of the box office charts—for quite a while yet. Jack Reacher received the best numbers out of the new releases, pulling in $15.6 million this weekend. Though this falls short of the $18.5-$19 million prediction from HSX, compared to the earnings for some of the other releases, it’s certainly a respectable haul.

Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" led the box office with a haul of $84.8 million, a record-setting opening better than the three previous "Lord of the Rings" films. The Warner Bros. Middle Earth epic was the biggest December opening ever, surpassing Will Smith's "I Am Legend," which opened with $77.2 million in 2007, according to studio estimates Sunday. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" also passed the December opening of "Avatar," which opened with $77 million. Internationally, "The Hobbit" also added $138.2 million, for an impressive debut well north of $200 million.

Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is living up to expectations, grossing $37.5 million to score the biggest Friday ever in the month of December. Overseas, the film's three-day gross (it began rolling out Wednesday) is $57 million, putting its world total at $94.5 million.