‘Hobbit’ sequel tops ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ on Christmas Day
Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street†didn’t steal quite enough box office riches to beat the “Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug†on Wednesday.
“Wolf of Wall Street,†the Leonardo DiCaprio-starring dark comedy from Paramount Pictures and Red Granite Pictures, grossed an estimated $9.1 million in the U.S. and Canada, coming in just behind “Smaug,†which looks like it generated around $9.3 million in ticket sales.
“Smaug,†the second part of the “Hobbit†trilogy based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, could be on its way to a third straight weekend as the highest-grossing film.
“Wolf of Wall Street,†a tale of unchained greed and excess, has received generally positive reviews, with a 75% “fresh†rating from Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences gave the film a relatively low grade of “C,†according to the polling firm CinemaScore. It’s expected to gross roughly $35 million through Sunday.
ON LOCATION: Where the cameras roll
As “Smaug†and “Wolf of Wall Street†battled at the top, a pack of new films and holdovers competed for moviegoers’ attention.
“Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues†grossed $8.1 million, while “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,†the new Twentieth Century Fox movie directed by and starring Ben Stiller, raked in $7.8 million on its first day in theaters. Audiences were generally warm toward “Walter Mitty,†giving it a B-plus CinemaScore.
David O. Russell’s acclaimed 1970s con artist drama “American Hustle†grossed $7.4 million on Christmas, indicating a solid start for its second weekend in wide release.
“47 Ronin,†the samurai movie with Keanu Reeves, took in an estimated $7 million and earned a B-plus grade. The film, debuting after a couple delays, cost at least $175 million to make. Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro duked it out in “Grudge Match†for another B-plus, and its first day in the ring resulted in about $4 million in ticket sales.
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