Weekend Box Office Nov. 27-Dec. 1: 'Catching Fire' and 'Frozen' Dominate
by EG
The holiday weekend was an ideal time to catch a movie, and a great number of Americans did just that, giving "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" a second lucrative weekend in a row and turning one new release into a hit as well.
After taking in more than $158 million in its opening weekend, "Catching Fire" dropped off by about half this weekend but still managed to take in $74.5 million over the holiday. The movie benefitted from strong word-of-mouth that kept it going strong after its opening, and if estimates of its weekend gross hold, its total domestic gross after two weekends will be very close to $300 million.
"Catching Fire" wasn't the only hot ticket at the box office over the holiday, however. "Frozen," the animated story based on the "Snow Queen" fairy tale, came on strong, taking in $66.7 million over the weekend. When that number is added to the movie's take from earlier in the week—it opened on Wednesday—its total domestic gross adds up to $93.5 million.
Other new releases didn't do as well this week despite the five-day weekend. Jason Statham's action flick "Homefront" took in a mediocre $10 million, and Christmas story "Black Nativity" took in only $5 million for the week. The weekend's least impressive performance was turned in by Spike Lee's "Oldboy," which brought in a mere $1.3 million between Wednesday and Sunday.