‘The Hobbit 2’ bests ‘Anchorman 2’ at the box office

The highly anticipated, hotly promoted “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues� fell significantly short of its box-office expectations, failing to wrest the No. 1 spot from Warner Bros.’ “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,� which pulled in $31.5 million.

Paramount Pictures’ sequel to 2004’s comedy cult classic, “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,� which stars Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and Christina Applegate, was expected to generate between $30 million and $35 million over Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but instead came in at a studio-estimated $26.8 million.

The original had a $28.4-million opening weekend, so this latest tale about a sexist San Diego anchorman from the 1970s, is not tracking as well with audiences, even though the film earned a respectable B rating from CinemaScore, which polls moviegoers on opening night, and a 76% “fresh� rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

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Thanks to Wednesday-night screenings and a Thursday opening (which the original “Anchorman� did not enjoy) “Anchorman 2� pulled in $40 million total over five days. Its budget was $50 million.

Sony’s Oscar contender “American Hustle,� starring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, had a strong inaugural wide-release weekend, making a solid $19.1 million and coming close to unseating Disney’s animated family hit “Frozen� from the No. 3 spot. (“Frozen� generated $19.2 million.)

Directed by David O. Russell, “American Hustle� is about a 1970s con man forced to work with the FBI. The critical darling has a B-plus CinemaScore and a 94% “fresh� rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It has been nominated for seven Golden Globe Awards, including best picture, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, including outstanding performance by a cast.

The film, Russell’s biggest wide-release ever, enjoyed an opening weekend comparable to that of Ben Affleck’s “Argo,� which opened last year with $19.5 million and went on to win an Academy Award for best picture.

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“It truly is one of those films that not only got a great start but is going to build in the weeks and months to come, all the way up to the awards,� said Rory Bruer, Sony’s president of worldwide distribution, on Sunday. “It’s really just resonating with everyone.�

Disney’s “Saving Mr. Banks,� which also opened wide this weekend, claimed the No. 5 spot with $9.3 million. The film stars Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson and tells the story of how the children’s classic “Mary Poppins� came to be. It is also generating awards buzz.

The Spike Jonze film “Her,� starring Joaquin Phoenix as a writer who falls in love with his digital operating system, had a promising limited opening, making $258,000 in three days in six locations, or $43,000 per location.

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