Well, that $77 million December opening weekend record set by I Am Legend five years ago is about to go down in flames as The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is looking at a potential $97 million weekend after bringing in $37.5 million on Friday, which includes $13 million from 3,100 midnight screenings. I just wonder, how much more would the film make if it didn’t run 165 minutes long, 45 of which could be easily excised and released with the inevitable extended edition DVDs and Blu-rays.
I am going to post an article soon asking for reader reactions to the film, but for now the CinemaScore tells us people are liking what they’re seeing as the film earned an “A” CinemaScore from opening weekend moviegoers.
The Hobbit is playing in 4,045 theaters domestically, 3,160 of which are showing it in 3D, which means a hefty bump from the surcharge that goes with those screenings.
I have included the Friday top ten below, which also includes $1.9 million for Lincoln in second, which pushes the film over the $100 million mark. However, with a $65 million budget that one still has work to do and I wonder, does it have much of a chance overseas? Certainly its upcoming Best Picture win will help.
I’ll be back Sunday morning with a complete wrap-up.
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – $37.5 million
- Lincoln – $1.9 million
- Skyfall – $1.8 million
- Rise of the Guardians – $1.5 million
- The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 – $1.4 million
- Life of Pi – $1.4 million
- Playing for Keeps – $1 million
- Wreck-It Ralph – $702,000
- Red Dawn – $698,000
- Silver Linings Playbook – $588,000
