Box Office: ‘Breaking Dawn’ takes bite out of Friday as ‘Life of pi’ opens strong

Hollywood is feasting on the long Thanksgiving weekend, as several newcomers compete with a handful of holdovers for hungry audiences.  

No surprise, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part II” continues its reign at the top this weekend. The final film in the smash series picked up $17.4 million on Friday, pushing its domestic box office take to just over $200 million.

Holdovers “Skyfall” and “Lincoln” continue to do well, placing in second and third place with $14.7 million and $9.9 million, respectively. The James Bond film has also cracked the magical $200 million mark domestically, while Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” has so far made $47.1 million.

DreamWorks Animation’s “Rise of the Guardians” is having trouble rising against the competition in the crowded frame, earning $9.8 million on Friday. It’s earned a disappointing $17.8 since Wednesday and will likely end up with around $31 million for the weekend, making it the studio’s weakest debut in over a decade. 

Meanwhile, fellow rookie “Life of Pi,” which opened Wednesday, is exceeding expected numbers, snagging $8.8 million on Friday. The acclaimed Ang Lee-directed film’s total stands at $17 million, boosting by 3D ticket sales. It should earn around $30 million for the weekend. 

Stealing much of “Guardians'” thunder, the Disney ‘toon “Wreck-It Ralph” continues to overperform. It racked up another $6.7 million, bringing its score up to $139.5 million domestically. 

Another newcomer that may end up lost in the shuffle is the “Red Dawn” remake, which carved out a decent $6 million on Friday. After a Wednesday opening, its domestic total stands at $13.4 million.

The inexpensive Denzel Washington drama “Flight” added another $3.7 million to its U.S. total, which stands at $69.9 million. 

The Weinstein Company’s potential Oscar player “Silver Linings Playbook” scored an excellent $1.6 million from just 367 screens. 

Look for complete weekend estimates tomorrow on HitFix.

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