Katniss continued to kick butt at the domestic box office – though it wasn't as if she had much competition.
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” finished at No. 1 for the third time in a row with an estimated $21.6 million over a typically weak post-Thanksgiving frame, falling 62 percent from last weekend – a drop similar to “Catching Fire's” 65 percent slide during the same period last year. The film has now taken in $257.7 million, making it the fourth-highest grossing movie of 2014 so far. It will rise to No. 2 this week, however, as both “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” ($259.7 million) and “The LEGO Movie” ($257.76 million) are only a hairsbreadth away from being toppled by the YA sequel. It's also within striking distance of current No. 1 “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which finished with $332 million during its run.
Coming in a distant second was Dreamworks Animation's “Penguins of Madagascar,” which tumbled 56 percent to an estimated $11.1 million in its second weekend. With a steep $132 million budget and only $49.5 million in North American receipts thus far, the family spinoff has to be counted as a disappointment for the studio, though internationally it's taken in a much more impressive $93 million.
Third place, meanwhile, went to the comedy sequel “Horrible Bosses 2,” which dropped a surprisingly mild 44 percent in its second weekend for a total of $36.1 million. Unfortunately the film has a lot of ground to cover, as its 2011 predecessor took in a hearty $117 million domestically during its run – a total the followup won't come close to meeting.
Further down the Top 10 this week are a slew of holdovers and one inauspicious debut: Disney Animation's “Big Hero 6” (No. 4), which fell 57 percent to $8.13 million for a $177.5 million total; “Interstellar” (No. 5), off 49 percent to $8 million and a $158.7 million total; Stephen Hawking biopic “The Theory of Everything” (No. 7), dropping 47 percent to $2.7 million and a $13.6 million total; and Fox's little-marketed freshman horror film “The Pyramid” (No. 9) with $1.35 million from 589 theaters.
In limited release, Reese Witherspoon Oscar contender “Wild” brought in a healthy $630,000 from 21 locations, giving it a solid $30,000 average in its debut frame. The fact-based drama will expand to nearly 100 theaters next weekend and will be in at least 800 theaters by Christmas. Alan Turing biopic “The Imitation Game,” meanwhile, expanded to eight theaters and earned an estimated $402,000 in its second weekend, giving the Benedict Cumberbatch starrer a strong $50,250 per-screen average.
The Top 12 films this weekend brought in a scant $70.5 million, tying for the second-worst weekend of 2014. Next weekend should pick up some with the wide releases of Ridley Scott's Biblical epic “Exodus: Gods and Kings” and Chris Rock's Toronto Film Festival sensation “Top Five.”
Full Top 10 chart below.
Which movies did you see this weekend? Let us know in the comments.
Weekend Top 10 (Dec. 5-7):
1. “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1,” $21.6 million
2. “Penguins of Madagascar,” $11.1 million
3. “Horrible Bosses 2,” $8.6 million
4. “Big Hero 6,” $8.13 million
5. “Interstellar,” $8 million
6. “Dumb and Dumber To,” $4.17 million
7. “The Theory of Everything,” $2.67 million
8. “Gone Girl,” $1.5 million.
9. “The Pyramid,” $1.35 million
10. “Birdman,” $1.15 million.