UPDATE: MONDAY, 2:42 PM: Year-to-date industry box office numbers are in, showing a slight increase of less than one percentage point from last year, or about $90M difference. Specifically, 2013 grosses rose .8% to $10.763B for the year ending 12/29/13 vs. $10.674B for the year ending 12/30/12 (as previously reported it would be less than 1%). When you just look at the Top Ten films in the marketplace over the last weekend of 2012 vs 2013, there was an overall increase this year of 8.1% in grosses, according to Rentrak. In analyzing these numbers, one must take into account that this year there were simply more movies in the marketplace. We must also look at attendance and ticket prices increases or decreases. But those specific attendance figures and average tickets prices, which will round out the big picture, won’t be released by the National Association of Theater Owners for another few weeks. In the meantime, here are the 3-day and 5-day Christmas holiday box office weekend numbers from Rentrak. These are the best estimates available, given that the studios only reported their estimates and the actuals won’t arrive until Thursday.



1). The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (WB), $29,040,000 (3-day), $48,870,000 (5-day), 3,928 locations, $189,494,000, Wk 3.

2. Frozen (DIS), $28,596,319 (3-day), $44,059,244 (5-day), 3,335 locations, $248,117,795, Wk 6.

3). Anchorman 2 (PAR), $19,662,000 (3-day), $35,126,000 (5-day), 3,507 locations, $83,180,000, Wk 2.

4). American Hustle (SONY), $18,701,000 (3-day), $32,451,000 (5-day), 2,507 locations, $59,185,000, Wk 3.

5). The Wolf Of Wall Street (PAR), $18,360,000 (3-day), $34,151,000 (5-day), 2,537 locations, $34,152,000, Wk 1.

6). Saving Mr. Banks (DISNEY) $13,453,533 (3-day), $23,261,566 (5-day), 2,110 locations, $37,276,150, Wk 3.

7). The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (Fox), $12,765,508 (3-day), $25,360,468 (5-day), 2,909 locations, $25,360,468, Wk 1

8). The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (LGF) $10,061,479 (3-day), $15,629,461 (5-day), 2,315 locations, $390,985,322, Wk 6

9). 47 Ronin (Uni) $9,910,310 (3-day), $20,612,531 (5-day) 2,689 locations, $20,612,530, Wk 1.

10). Walking With Dinosaurs (Fox) $7,276,172 (3-day), $11,151,353 (5-day) 3,243 locations, $20,944,478, Wk 2

11). Grudge Match (WB) $7,015,000 (3-day), $13.4M (5-day), 2,838 locations, $13,140,000, Wk 1

12). Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas (LGF) $6,887,194 (3-day), $12.4M (5-day), 1,788 locations, $43,206,270, Wk 3.



UPDATE: SUNDAY, 7:55 AM: What a weekend. Box office was up overall about 10% from a year earlier Christmas weekend and may just slightly surpass last year’s overall record of $10.8B, according to Rentrak, to a bit over $10.9B. It’s actually just around 1% ahead so let’s not get all breathless here as there are simply more movies in the marketplace this year and ticket price and attendance figures are not yet available. Until they are, we don’t have that to figure into the big picture. I have heard, however, that attendance was in line with last year. What is interesting is that between Warner Bros./MGM’s Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and Disney’s animated family film Frozen the two pulled out 34.2% of this weekend’s box office. Hobbit dominated both the 5-day($49.3M) and the 3-day ($29.5M) holiday weekend and as distribution exec Jeff Goldstein noted, IMAX accounted for 17% of its gross for the weekend. “We only had a 2% drop from the previous weekend and, just like the first one (Hobbit), it’s been No. 1 three weeks in a row.” Its cume is now estimated at $190.3M over three weeks. Frozen has been playing like gangbusters since it opened six weeks ago, racking up a total cume of $247.7M to date. Meanwhile, a strong showing for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PAR) which easily came in third while Sony/Annapurna’s American Hustle edged out Paramount’s The Wolf of Wall Street (Red Granite International) this weekend.

47 Ronin, the big-budget bomb that Universal is trying to squeeze as much as it can out of the box office lemon, has a five-day total of only $20.6M and only $42.9M worldwide on over $200M spent. 47 Ronin is a stink rot, yeah, it is. But there are a ton of others, too. I wouldn’t be too happy if I were working at Red Granite International as the last two pictures (Out of the Furnace) have not done well. A $34.5M box office for Wolf on a what? A $100M price tag (if that is even true) for Wolf of Wall Street with a C CinemaScore? How about Grudge Match, the other walking with dinosaurs film with only a $13.4M five-day. The three P’s: Percentages, profits and perspective. Limited releases are just okay but noting to write home about either. And the Justin Bieber picture plummeted (yeah, a lot of alliterations … ‘pretty, peppy party pal,’ huh?). But the weekend is up. Okay, okay, whatever. Here you go:



1). The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (WB/MGM) Theaters: 3,928 / $9,32M Wed. / $10.1M Thurs. +13% / $9.8M Fri. -6% / 10.6M Sat. -5% / 8.9M Sun. -15% for a $29.8M Wknd (3-day) / $49.3M Wknd (5-day) / Cume: $190.3M/ Wk 2



2). Frozen (DIS) / Theaters: 3,335 / $6,354,000M Wed. / $9.1M Thurs. +43% / $10.2M Fri +12% / $10M Sat. -2% / $8M to $8.5M Sun. -20% for a $28.8M Wknd (3-day) / $43.7M Wknd (5-day) / Cume: $247.7M / Wk 5

3). Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PAR) Theaters: 3,507/ $8.1M Wed. / $7.36M Thurs. -9% / $7.1M Fri. -4% / $7.1Sat. 0%/ $6M Sun -15% for a $20.1M Wknd (3-day) / $35.7M Wknd (5-day) / Cume: $83.6M / Wk 1

4). American Hustle (SONY) / Theaters: 2,507 / $7.4M Wed. / $6.35M Thurs. -14% / $6.37M Fri. 0%/ $7.13M Sat. +12% / $5.9M Sun. -15% for a $19.5M (3-day) / $33.3M (5-day) / Cume: $60M /Wk 2

5). The Wolf Of Wall Street (PAR) Theaters: 2,537/ $9,150,000 Wed. / $6.6M Thurs. -27% / $6.2M Fri. -6% / $6.7M Sat. +9% / $5.7M Sun. -15% for a $18.5M (3-day) / $34.3M (5-day) / Cume: $34.3M / Wk 1

6). Saving Mr. Banks (DIS) / Theaters: 2,110 / $5,131,000 Wed. / $4.6M Thurs. -9% / $4.7M Fri. -1% / $5.0M Sat. +7% / $4M Sun. -20% for a $13.8M to $14M (3-day) / $23.6M (5-day) / Cume: $37.8M / Wk 2

7). The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (FOX) / Theaters: 2,909/ $7.8M Wed. / $4.8M Thurs. -39%/ $4.5M Fri. -6% / $4.7M Sat. +5 / $3.8M Sun. -20% for a $13.1M (3-day) / $25.7M (5-day) / Cume: $25.7M / Wk 1

8). The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (LGF) / Theaters: 2,305 / $2,528,150 Wed. / $3M Thurs. +20% / $3.4M Fri. +12% / $3.7M +8% Sat. / $3.1M -15% for a $10.2M (3-day) / $15.7M (5-day) / Cume: $391M / Wk 5

9). 47 Ronin (UNI) / Theaters: 2,689/ $7,032,000 Wed. / $3.67M Thurs. -48% / $3.4M Fri. -7% / $3.6 Sat. +5% / $3M Sun. -15% for a $9.9M (3-day) / ($20.6M 5-day) / Cume: $20.6M / Wk 1

10). Walking With Dinosaurs (FOX) / Theaters: 3,243 (+12) / $1.8M Wed. / $2.1M Thurs. +19% / $2.5M Fri. +17% / $2.5M Sat. -0%/ $2.1M Sun. -15% for a $7.1M (3-day) / $11M (5-day) / Cume: $20.7M/ Wk 1

11). Grudge Match (WB) / Theaters: 2,838/ $3,965,000Wed. / $2.1M Thurs. -46% / $2.4M Fri. +10% / $2.7M Sat. +13% / $2.1M Sun. -20% for a $7.3M (3-day) / $13.4M (5-day) / Cume: $13.4M / Wk 1

12). Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas (LGF) Theaters: 1,788 (-406) / $2,965M Wed. / $2.2M Thurs. -25% / $2.5M Fri. +13% / $2.7M Sat. +7% / $2M Sun. -25% for a $7M to $7.4M (3-day) / $12.4M (5-day) / Cume: $43.7M / Wk 2

NOTEWORTHY: Justin Bieber’s Believe ( OPRD) / Theaters: 1,037/ $1.3M Wed. / $1M Thurs. -19% / $785,000 Fri. -22% / $6775,000 to $680,000 Sat. -14% / $534,000 Sun. -20% for $2M (3-day)/ $4.2M (5-day) / Cume $4.2M (5-day)/ Wk 1

LIMITED: August Osage County (Weinstein Co) about $35,895 per screen, Lone Survivor (Uni) about $46,234 per screen, The Invisible Woman (Sony Pictures Classics) about $12,383 per screen.

UPDATE: SATURDAY, 11:45 PM: TOP FIVE: The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug looks to take both the 5-Day and the weekend as preliminary numbers have come in. Will be another update in the AM, but quickly, estimates show a $10.5M night (+4% from Friday) for the Warner Bros./MGM sequel. Frozen, (- 2%), is expected to take $9.7M to $9.9M for Disney in what has been an extraordinary holiday run for the animated family film. Paramount’s Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues strong with an estimated $7M to $7.2M (-1%) while American Hustle had a solid night with an estimated gross of $7M to $7.2M (+10% to 13%) for Sony and Annapurna (the production co, also behind the wonderfully original WBros.’ film, Her). In the fifth spot is (the why- isn’t-it-an-NC-17) The Wolf of Wall Street with around $6.8M (+8%) for Paramount.

BOTTOM FIVE (estimates): Disney’s Saving Mr. Banks, $5M (+6%); Fox’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, $4.6M to $4.8M (+3%); Hunger Games: Catching Fire, $3.5M for Lionsgate; In ninth, Universal’s 47 Ronin, $3.6M and rounding out the top ten is Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas, $2.7M for Lionsgate. Noteworthy: Warner Bros.’ Grudge Match, $2.7M (+14% … one of – if not the – highest percentage increases from Friday to Saturday of the top 12). More to come in the early AM.

UPDATE, SATURDAY 7:25 AM: Five-day Christmas weekend champ is expected to be Warner Bros./MGM’s The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug nabbing an estimated $50M for the 5-day Christmas holiday with Disney’s Frozen expected to skate in with $43.1M for the same time period. For the 3-day weekend, battles are brewing: Hobbit v Frozen. These two pictures are striking extremely well with moviegoers and were well-played by their distributors and are neck in neck for the weekend. Speaking of well-played, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues — it does indeed — for Paramount Pictures with an expected take of $37.2M for the five-day and an estimated cume of $84M to $85M. It remains No. 3 in both time frames. The studio’s The Wolf of Wall Street did the best of the Christmas Day newcomers (not hard to do) is ending the holiday likely in 4th place for the 5-day and in fourth or fifth place for the 3-day and a cume of around $35.2M (5-day). Sony/Annapurna’s American Hustle looks to shove aside Wolf for the 3-day weekend, but Wolf will jump over Hustle for the five-day. Hustle is estimated to bring in a five-day take of about $33.6M. Disney’s Saving Mr. Banks, when you look at the percentage drops (and est. % drops) is actually holding its own in a crazy crowded market and is expected to have a cume of around $23.8M or so for the 5-day and surely the studio expected more. Both The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (est. $25.6M for 5-day) and Grudge Match are expected to hold okay over the weekend, but overall only $13.4M is expected for the five-day for the DeNiro/Stallone film. 47 Ronin: forgetaboutit (and I’m sure its distributor Universal would like to) as it’s estimated to take in only around $21M for the five-day. A very hefty writedown.

NOTEWORTHY: Hunger Games: Catching Fire is expected to pass $400M domestically this coming week and may pass $800M worldwide this weekend for Lionsgate.

So getting towards the end of a long Christmas holiday, that’s what this week is shaping up to be, given late night estimates (very early estimates) tonight of the three-day. These numbers just changed in the AM but this 3-day weekend it’ll be Hobbit vs. Frozen and Hustle looks to catch the Wolf. Let the jockeying begin:



1 and/or 2). The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (WB/MGM) Theaters: 3,928 / $9,32M Wed. / $10.1M Thurs. +13% / $9.8M Fri. -6% / 10.9M Sat. +10% / 9.2M Sun. -15% for a $29M to $30.1M Wknd (3-day) / $50M Wknd (5-day) / Cume: $190.6M/ Wk 2

Frozen (DIS) / Theaters: 3,335 / $6,354,000M Wed. / $9.1M Thurs. +43% / $10.2M Fri +12% / $9.6M Sat. -5% / $7.75M Sun. -20% for a $29M to $30M Wknd (3-day) / $43.1M Wknd (5-day) / Cume: $247.1M / Wk 5

3). Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PAR) Theaters: 3,507/ $8.1M Wed. / $7.36M Thurs. -9% / $7.1M Fri. -4% / $8.2 Sat. +15%/ $6.5M Sun -20% for a $20.9M to 21.8M Wknd (3-day) / $37.2M Wknd (5-day) / Cume: $84.4M to $85.3M / Wk 1

4). American Hustle (SONY) / Theaters: 2,507 / $7.4M Wed. / $6.35M Thurs. -14% / $6.3 to $6.4M Fri. 0%/ $7.3M Sat. +15% / $6.2M Sun. -15% for a $19.9M (3-day) / $33.6M (5-day) / Cume: $60.4M /Wk 2

5). The Wolf Of Wall Street (PAR) Theaters: 2,537/ $9,150,000 Wed. / $6.6M Thurs. -27% / $6.2M Fri. -6% / $7.16M Sat. +15% / $6M Sun. -15% for a $19.4M (3-day) / $35.3M (5-day) / Cume: $34.4M to $35.3M / Wk 1

6). Saving Mr. Banks (DIS) / Theaters: 2,110 / $5,131,000 Wed. / $4.6M Thurs. -9% / $4.7M Fri. -1% / $5.1M Sat. +10% / $4.1M Sun. -20% for a $14M to $14.5M (3-day) / $23.8M (5-day) / Cume: $37.8 / Wk 2

7). The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (FOX) / Theaters: 2,909/ $7.8M Wed. / $4.8M Thurs. -39%/ $4.5M Fri. -11% / $4.7M Sat. +5 / $3.8M Sun. -20% for a $13M to $13.5M (3-day) / $25.6M (5-day) / Cume: $25.6M to $26M/ Wk 1

8). 47 Ronin (UNI) / Theaters: 2,689/ $7,032,000 Wed. / $3.67M Thurs. -48% / $3.4M Fri. -7% / $3.9 Sat. +15% / $3.1M to $3.2M Sun. -20% for a $10.1M to $10.3M (3-day) / ($21.28M 5-day) / Cume: $21M / Wk 1

9). The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (LGF) / Theaters: 2,305 / $2,528,150 Wed. / $3M Thurs. +20% / $3.4M Fri. +12% / $3.7M +10% Sat. / $3.1M -15% for a $10.3M to $10.4M (3-day) / $15.8M (5-day) / Cume: $391.3M / Wk 5

10). Grudge Match (WB) / Theaters: 2,838/ $3,965,000Wed. / $2.1M Thurs. -46% / $2.4M Fri. +10% / $2.7M Sat. +15% / $2.1M Sun. -20% for a $7.3M (3-day) / $13.4M (5-day) / Cume: $13.4M / Wk 1

11). Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas (LGF) Theaters: 1,788 (-406) / $2,965M Wed. / $2.2M Thurs. -25% / $2.5M Fri. +13% / $2.6M Sat. +5% / $1.9M Sun. -25% for a $7.1M (3-day) / $12.3M (5-day) / Cume: $43.4M / Wk 2

12). Walking With Dinosaurs (FOX) / Theaters: 3,243 (+12) / $1.8M Wed. / $2.1M Thurs. +19% / $2.5M Fri. +17% / $2.5M Sat. -0%/ $2.1M Sun. -15% for a $7.1M to $7.2M (3-day) / $11M (5-day) / Cume: $20.8M/ Wk 1

NOTEWORTHY: Justin Bieber’s Believe ( OPRD) / Theaters: 1,037/ $1.3M Wed. / $1M Thurs. -19% / $785,000 Fri. -22% / $736,000 Sat. -5% / $589,000 Sun. -20% for $2.2M (3-day)/ $4.3M (5-day) / Cume $4.3M (5-day)/ Wk 1

LIMITED RELEASES: The WeinsteinCo’s newcomer August: Osage County on 5 screens will have per screen weekend average of about $35,000;

OPENING NEXT WEEKEND: Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (Paramount, wide)

UPDATE, FRIDAY 6:40 AM: This morning, the position of the the top 10 pictures have not changed —The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug and Frozen leading — but the estimates have (see revised below). Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues and Saving Mr. Banks played ahead of the pack last night. Wednesday numbers and Thursday percentages increases/drops have been added in below. Those also playing well last night: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Walking With Dinosaurs — PG and PG-13 — that cater to the younger demo. NOTEWORTHY: Hobbit, as expected, is running over $500M worldwide. Dhoom 3, which is the biggest Bollywood opener ever, has grossed $58M to date worldwide, pulling in $1.3M over the past two days. 47 Ronin, Universal’s bloated-budgeted samurai picture, has made to date an estimated $23.5M so far worldwide ($12.8 million internationally and $10.7 M here). It expands from 22 to 29 territories by Sunday.

UPDATE, THURSDAY 11:30 PM: Early estimates from Thursday night show The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, Frozen, and Anchorman 2 taking the top three spots now with The Wolf Of Wall Street and American Hustle in fourth and fifth, respectively. (Positions of movies will change as we go through the holiday weekend). This is ticker-tape, night-by-night reporting at the moment. Here are early estimates to be revised in the AM. These are the low-to-high estimates for Thursday night: Percentage-wise, Anchorman 2 and Saving Mr. Banks had the slightest drops from Wednesday to Thursday night. Frozen had the largest percentage increase with Hobbit and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (coming into the top 10 Thursday night) rising as well. Largest percentage decreases come from Grudge Match and 47 Ronin. Wolf looks to have dropped around 25%. Better estimates will be available in the morning … until then:



1). The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (WB/MGM) Theaters: 3,928 (+ 25) / $9,320,000 Wed. / around $10.5M Thurs. / +13% from Wed.

2). Frozen (DIS) / Theaters: 3,335 (-205) / $6,354,000 Wed. / $9.1M Thurs. / +44%

3). Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PAR) Theaters: 3,507/ $8,100,000 Wed. / $7.3M to $7.4M Thurs. / -9%

4). The Wolf Of Wall Street (PAR) Theaters: 2,537/ $9,150,000 Wed. / $6.6M to $6.8M Thurs. / -27%

5). American Hustle (SONY) / Theaters: 2,507 (+2,501)/ $7,400,000 Wed. / $6.3M to $6.4M Thurs./ -14%

6). The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (FOX) / Theaters: 2,909/ $4,803,000 Wed. / $4.8 to $4.9M Thurs./ -39%

7). Saving Mr. Banks (DIS) / Theaters: 2,110/ (2,095) / $5,131,000 Wed. / $4.6M to $4.7M Thurs./ -9%

8). 47 Ronin (UNI) / Theaters: 2,688/ $7,031,735 Wed. / $3.6M to $3.7M Thurs./ -48%

9). The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (LGF) / Theaters: 2,305 (-644) / $2,528,150 Wed. / $3M Thurs./ +20%

10). Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas (LGF) Theaters: 1,803 (-391) / $2,964,726 Wed. / $2.2M Thurs./ -25%

NOTEWORTHY: Grudge Match (WB) / Theaters: 2,838/ $3,965,000Wed. / $2.1M Thurs./ -46%; Justin Bieber’s Believe ( OPRD) / Theaters: 1,037/ $1,250,000 Wed. / $1M Thurs./ -19%; Walking With Dinosaurs (FOX) / Theaters: 3,231 / $1,732,940 Wed. / $2.1M Thurs./ +24%.

UPDATE, THURSDAY 9 AM: Here’s a short analysis with Monday and Tuesday numbers and the Top 10 chart (see below) as it stands after Christmas Day openers. The Hobbit: Desolation Of Smaug mid-week numbers held very strong and held off The Wolf Of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese’s ridiculously over-the-top story of excess. It tried but failed to trump Warner Bros.’ Hobbit for Christmas Day, wanting desperately to go over the top for Paramount. Did I mention “over the top?” Because I can hit you over the head for another 2 hours and 59 minutes telling you it was over the top, launch into a Lenny Bruce routine while shaving my head, hosting an orgy and snorting a mound of cocaine before dropping some ludes to drive the point home … recklessly, of course, having crashed my car during a drug-induced amnesia. Yes, let’s glorify this lowlife, shall we? Scorsese and Paramount aren’t doing Hollywood – nor his victims – any favors (neither did the MPAA ratings board) with this hard-R-shoulda-coulda-been-an-NC-17 pic — nor did it help Sony’s American Hustle as it took a bite out of a similar demo there. Meanwhile, Universal Pictures’ 47 Ronin, the overpriced samurai picture starring Keanu Reeves, is lost in its own accounting matrix; it’s only a matter of how much the studio must write off. This is just opening day of a five-day weekend so what’s real on Monday will truly tell the tale. The five-day estimates are just too early to give any kind of accurate reading, but will slowly reveal itself. Here are early estimates on Wednesday numbers:

Warner Bros’ The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug looks like it took in $9.2M to $9.3M last night to take the No. 1 spot for Christmas Day, and is in good standing to challenge The Wolf Of Wall Street in its debut weekend for the five-day. Wolf looks like it took in $9.1M on Christmas Day, but it is going in with a low CinemaScore of C (yes, movie critics can be out of touch with the moviegoing public). The multiple will be the big question for this pic. Last weekend’s holdover Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues pushes in around $8M (which would only be down only about 2% from its opening day for Paramount). Fox newcomer The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (B+ Cinemascore) dreamt up about $7.8M to $7.9M for its remake and is satisfying audiences with laughs while Sony’s American Hustle looks like it’s bringing in a nice and tidy $7.3 to $7.5M Christmas tally. 47 Ronin (also B+) may take $7M to $7.1M for Universal and financier Elliot; interesting in that its international cume over last weekend was $6.2M; Uni is saying the film cost $175M (not counting marketing and distribution costs, of course … gulp!). Disney’s animated family film Frozen is still holding very strong adding another $6.2M to $6.4M, Disney’s Saving Mr. Banks registered between $5.0M and $5.2M while Warner Bros’ Grudge Match — the Robert De Niro-Sylvester Stallone newcomer (also a B+) — takes the nine spot with $3.9M to $4M. Lionsgate’s Tyler Perry’s A Madea’s Christmas got a nice boost from holiday moviegoers and looks like it will bring in around $2.9M to $3M. And, Open Road Films can log about $1.2M for Justin Bieber’s Believe the day after the singer-actor tweeted that he was retiring. NOTEWORTHY: In its second weekend out, the 3D Walking With Dinosaurs only took in around $1.75M yesterday. Sony Pictures Classics’ Invisible Woman in three theaters cumed $13,000 for a per screen average of $4,319. Universal’s war pic Lone Survivor playing in 2 locales for a Wednesday take of $37,000 or an estimated per of $18,421.

TOP TEN

(Hobbit numbers have held very strong mid-week. This is a very crowded Christmas with many wide releases entering a market already packed. There was one week less for new openers to play out between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year which impacted all. Think rush hour traffic; Good news for moviegoers, distribs grabbing for pieces, and sometimes, morsels of the pie).

Very short analysis and then see for yourselves: The Hobbit: Desolation Of Smaug held strong Monday and Tuesday with a total of $7.8M and $5.2M, respectively. Fan base and repeat viewers, must be. Frozen’s Monday was $7.2M and $4.8M and that family film is not going away as we head into the holiday weekend. Maybe I’m being too kind, but Grudge Match, of course, is starting out slow, but Grumpy Old Men started out the same on Christmas Day years ago (I’m aging myself) in 1993 with $3.8M and ended up with a total of $70M. The question is will audiences want to see old guys duking it out? I heard it’s not as bad as it sounds, in part because of the lift that actor Kevin Hart gives it. Also, remember other movies that opened on Christmas Day — Alien Vs. Predator Requiem, (R-rating) to $9.5M and the Leonardo DiCaprio-starring Catch Me If You Can, (PG-13) which opened to $9.8M — ended up making a $10M and $30M for the five-day weekend, respectively. So anything can happen.

1). The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (WB/MGM) Theaters: 3,928 (+ 25) $31,505,278 Wknd. -57% / $7,823,089 Mon. / $5,234,391 Tues. / $9.2M to $9.2M Wed. (estimated) / Wk 2

2). The Wolf Of Wall Street (PAR) Theaters: 2,537/ $9.1M Wed ./ NEW

3). Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PAR) Theaters: 3,507/ $26,234,000 Wknd/ $5,791,000 Mon. / $2,769,845 Tues. / $8M Wed. / Wk 1

4). American Hustle (SONY) / Theaters: 2,507 (+2,501)/ $19,106,933 Wknd $3,615,000 Mon. / $2,883,733 Tues. /$7.3M t0 $7.5M Wed. / Wk 2

5). The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (FOX) / Theaters: 2,909/ $7.8M to $7.9M Wed. / NEW

6). 47 Ronin (UNI) / Theaters: 2,688/ $7M to $7.1M Wed. / NEW

7). Frozen (DIS) / Theaters: 3,335 (-205) / $19,642,107 Wknd. -13% / $7,242,689 Mon. / $4,773,289 Tues. /$6.2M to $6.4M Wed. / Wk 5

8). Saving Mr. Banks (DIS) / Theaters: 2,110/ (2,095) / $9,344,381 Wknd./ $2,128,406 Mon. / $1,920,763 Tues. /$5M to $5.2M Wed. / Wk 2

9). Grudge Match (WB) / Theaters: 2,838/ NEW / $3.9M to $4M Wed. / NEW

10). Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas (LGF) Theaters: 1,803 (-391) / $8,384,980 Wknd. -48%/ $1,664,660 Mon. / $1,320,888 Tues. /$2.9M to $3.M Wed. / Wk 5

NOTEWORTHY:

Justin Bieber’s Believe ( OPRD) / Theaters: 1,037/ $1,223,000 / $1,157 per screen / NEW (current rank is No. 14)

Lone Survivor (UNI) / Theaters: 2 / $37,000 Wed., $18,421 per screen / NEW

Invisible Woman (SPC) / Theaters: 2 / $13,000 Wed. $4,319 per screen / NEW

Walking With Dinosaurs (FOX) / Theaters: 3,231/ $7,091,938 Wknd. / $1,657,444 Mon. / $1,065,195 Tues. /$1.75M Wed. 65% / Wk 1 (current rank is No.12)

Dhoom 3 (YRF) Theaters: 239 / $3,152,590 Wknd. / $460,385 Mon. / $644,875 Tues. /$929,000 Wed. / Wk 1