TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count  / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week # 1 N Pain and Gain Par...

TWLWTitle (click to view)StudioWeekend Gross% ChangeTheater Count /ChangeAverageTotal GrossBudget*Week #
1NPain and GainPar.$20,244,505-3,277-$6,178$20,244,505$261
21OblivionUni.$17,803,425-52.0%3,792+9$4,695$65,090,925$1202
3242WB$10,657,443-39.9%3,405+155$3,130$69,011,815$403
4NThe Big WeddingLGF$7,591,663-2,633-$2,883$7,591,663$351
53The CroodsFox$6,726,918-27.2%3,283-152$2,049$163,151,701$1356
65G.I. Joe: RetaliationPar.$3,701,825-35.8%2,707-468$1,368$116,477,968$1305
74Scary Movie 5W/Dim.$3,434,451-44.2%2,733-669$1,257$27,471,387$203
87Olympus Has FallenFD$2,863,345-36.0%2,334-304$1,227$93,171,817$706
96The Place Beyond the PinesFocus$2,699,000-45.1%1,584+42$1,704$16,205,000$155
109Jurassic Park 3DUni.$2,374,685-41.4%1,848-482$1,285$42,065,060$104

Although it is yet to release in the US, Iron Man 3 has topped The Avengers' opening gross overseas. Yes, this is surprising as I thought only The Avengers 2 would accomplish that. However, strong critical acclaim and awaiting of the third part of the metallic superhero series.

(Iron Man 3 North American poster)

Robert Downey Jr. reprises the titular role for the fifth time (he appeared as Tony Stark in the Incredible Hulk). Don Cheadle and Gwyneth Paltrow are also returning. The villain is played by Academy Award attainer Ben Kingsley. Last time it was the Oscar-designated Mickey Rourke. Now Iron Man 2 in my opinion was super boring. The first part overcoming it easily. Three is directed by Shane Black whose first venture was Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, also starring Downey Jr.
  KKBB was humorously brilliant. But Black has written films as early as the Lethal Weapon franchise. Iron Man 3 already has a 95% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. With negative reviews not being too negative. The earlier films also have had fresh ratings. Iron Man with 95% and the sequel with 73% both movies being directed by Jon Favreau.
  So I'm more interested in watching this one in the theatre. After all, summer has begun. Though it is still spring in Al Ain, UAE. Another point to note is that Iron Man grossed a little above $580m but the sequel only reached $623.9m. I'm not shocked as I hated the latter.
  The three-quel has made $198.4m in its worldwide opening. This is at the same time The Avengers emerged with $185m. This also clears the point that Iron Man is Marvel's most powerful stand-alone Avenger.
  So yes, anything above $800m globally is expected. Though it's not written in stone that the possible last of this trilogy will land at $1b.
  Now for news other than all the above mentioned. Oblivion is at number 2 in its second leg. I also wanted to include a mini-review of Oblivion in this week's article. Starring Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko and Morgan Freeman. The film shines with a star cast (okay discarding Kurylenko). Still, it was a bad flick. 
  Sci-fi today is predictable and demands originality. Oblivion started as any dystopian science-fiction movie would. But Oblivion is not only a post-apocalyptic movie, it's an apocalypse of a movie. Seriously, the  venture became so predictable after one hour that the brilliant director tried to show his finesse afterwards. That ended up being more than audiences bargained for. And I seriously had a headache in the cinema hall. Compared to this, Prometheus looks like a futurism legend.
(Oblivion looks Oblivious)

  With notable action scenes and great acting by Cruise, as usual, Oblivion was fine for the first hour and a half. But the remaining 35 minutes were shear torture. I regretted being born in those final moments. This is the biggest problem with director-writer Joseph Konsinski. He based this film on his unpublished graphic novel to only prove why the art was not published in the first place. He also wrote/directed Tron Legacy that had a stupendous ending yet better than Oblivion's. Well, the whole movie was better than the latter.
  Oblivion has a 56% rotten rating. The consensus: 'Visually striking but thinly scripted', is the best description for that universe. No sequel is in the news and it is possible with the film 1 million dollars away from attaining the $200m mark. Domestically, it has grossed $65m on a budget of $120m. Tom Cruise's face in the trailers were enough to cross the $100m milestone. It won't cover its budget in the States, probably ending up with $100 million. The people's rating on IMDB rating is 7.2. My rating is a razor-edge 1.5/4. 
  The newcomers this week are Pain and Gain at number 1, with The Big Wedding not so big at 4th place. The former stars Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson respectively.
  That's all from me folks, stay tuned next week for further discussion on this weekend's top spot. And I'd like to end this article with a quote by a fellow movie critic:
'Oblivion is one of the best-looking bad films ever made'. - Shaun Munro (WhatCulture).

(Chart by Box Office Mojo)

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count  / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week # 1 N G.I. Joe: Retalia...

TWLWTitle (click to view)StudioWeekend Gross% ChangeTheater Count /ChangeAverageTotal GrossBudget*Week #
1NG.I. Joe: RetaliationPar.$40,501,814-3,719-$10,891$51,008,689$1301
21The CroodsFox$26,705,868-38.8%4,065+19$6,570$88,887,945$1352
3NTyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage CounselorLGF$21,641,679-2,047-$10,572$21,641,679-1
42Olympus Has FallenFD$14,147,416-53.4%3,106+8$4,555$54,890,085$702
53Oz The Great and PowerfulBV$11,702,316-45.7%3,324-481$3,521$198,374,716$2154
6NThe Host (2013)ORF$10,600,112-3,202-$3,310$10,600,112$401
74The CallTriS$4,925,675-44.7%2,439-68$2,020$39,605,891$133
85AdmissionFocus$3,235,263-47.4%2,161+1$1,497$11,744,141$132
96Spring BreakersA24$2,774,146-42.9%1,379+275$2,012$10,074,433$53
107The Incredible Burt WonderstoneWB$1,343,025-68.9%1,575-1,585$853$20,629,646$303

Before going into the topic that is mention in this week's post, another story caught my attention. Nicolas Cage got a number 1 opener in the US last weekend with The Croods. His last North American and international numero uno was Knowing in 2009. Yes, it's been along time of average grosser plus flops. But that didn't mean to misjudge Cage's talent. He performed equally well in all of his movies after Knowing.
  His script choices speak the contrary. Stolen was a straight rip-off of Taken and Seeking Justice was not seeking criticism. So Cage tried mostly action and thriller films and in the end, an animated feature was his comeback.
  The Croods is set in the Stone Age as audiences were probably tired of the Ice Age quadrilogy. It's title is taken from the prehistoric era known as The Croodaceuous. Though, I would've been happy with Stone Age except that it wouldn't of come from the same studio as IA.
  Also starring in the animation are stars Ryan Reynolds and Emma Stone, along with semi-famous voice actors.
I might've not mentioned The Croods if it weren't for my favourite actor Nicolas Cage but what the heck. Now for the important news (for this week), G.I. Joe unsurprisingly opens at the top spot. The only movie it did face competition from was The Croods but seeing as it is an original movie and not a sequel, the overall danger was limited. I'll be watching G.I. Joe 2 tomorrow hopefully.
  G.I. Joe Retaliation has discarded many of its main cast members. Mainly, the beautiful Rachel Nichols from the TV series Continuum's fame. Still, get the damsels out of distress and put the heroes into full thrust. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson an Bruce Willis are there. Both of them had successes earlier with their silver screen releases. 
  In the 4-day Easter weekend G.I. Joe Retaliation has made $40.5m. This is $10m lower than what G.I. Joe made in 2009. My friend Shahwath gave Retaliation a 7/10 and that's the same I would've given to the first. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was a surprise hit. The Transformers was also based on a Hasbro toyline but it still had screen credibility with cartoon adaptations before. G.I. Joe was a make-it or break-it film and it managed to gross a little above $302m worldwide on a budget of $175m. This was more like Channing Tatum's rise as an action star leaving behind his dancer persona. 

  Notable thespians were also included like Sienna Miller and Dennis Quad but are nowhere to be seen now. Marlon Wayans, who starred in the first couple of Scary Movie films, was an added surprise in an action role. And his on-screen shenanigans will be missed. So despite G.I. Joe 2 having 2 adrenaline megastars, it showed that audiences halved their cinema credit with The Croods and Temptation.
  Tyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor is written-directed by the titular name. This is Perry's 13th film and based on a play by him with many changes to the original script. It is a hit already with $21.6m domestically on an unspecified budget, but one that has or will eventually be crossed. The thriller. Also, as the title suggests, it is based on a married woman's temptation by a billionaire leading to even  further affairs. 
  As with many of Perry's releases (written, directed or starred in), such as Alex Cross and Madea's Witness Protection, the movie received universal negative reviews. One could say it was due to Temptation not being screened in advance to critics, storyline, or Tyler Perry's name in the title. The receipts glory could be because of Kim Kardashian's co-star role or Perry himself not being in the feature.
  I have only seen one of Perry's films and that is Alex Cross. It received a negative critical consensus in my mind although his portrayal of the fictional detective was beyond passable. 
  Selena Gomez starrer Spring Breakers has risen above its tiny budget and will leave the top ten next week. Surprisingly, it received primarily positive reviews, although I saw nothing under the superficial bikini babes. Disney chose their whiz kids wisely.
  Olympus Has Fallen might make $60m-$65m and also depart from the ticket booth  falling short of its $70m budget in the national market. Still it has a great chance of making at least $90m internationally after being released in more theatre-themed territories like Australia, Russia, etc.
  OHF has received medium reviews and with audiences rating it What Die Hard 5 should have been. I might even watch it and agree. Hollywood should really start casting the US President as African-American already.
  The Host has opened up at 6. Based on the novel of the same name and by the Twilight author, I expected this much. 
  That's all from me folks, check out The Wolverine trailer below with a surprise appearance from Famke Janssen:


(Chart by Box Office Mojo)


  

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count  / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week # 1 N A Good Day to D...


TWLWTitle (click to view)StudioWeekend Gross% ChangeTheater Count /ChangeAverageTotal GrossBudget*Week #
1NA Good Day to Die HardFox$24,834,845-3,553-$6,990$33,073,961$921
21Identity ThiefUni.$23,674,295-31.5%3,165+24$7,480$70,962,080$352
3NSafe HavenRela.$21,401,594-3,223-$6,640$30,230,512$281
4NEscape From Planet EarthWein.$15,891,055-3,288-$4,833$15,891,055$401
52Warm BodiesSum.$8,865,186-21.9%2,897-112$3,060$50,085,717-3
6NBeautiful Creatures (2013)WB$7,582,595-2,950-$2,570$10,124,912$601
73Side Effects (2013)ORF$6,272,152-32.6%2,605-$2,408$19,092,988-2
84Silver Linings PlaybookWein.$6,241,902-2.9%2,202-607$2,835$98,616,374$2114
95Hansel and Gretel: Witch HuntersPar.$3,513,410-38.9%2,103-1,182$1,671$49,742,205$504
107Zero Dark ThirtySony$2,995,899-25.2%1,522-1,040$1,968$87,924,567$409


Woah look at the top three figures! Die Hard 5 just manages by a cat's whisker to become the leader of Presidents' Day Weekend in America. I caught A Good Day to Die Hard in the theatre a couple of days ago, with my friend Syed Ali, and I'm not surprised it hasn't grossed as effectively as its predecessor. Also, Safe Haven was number one on Valentines' Day and many boxoffice pundits thought that it would be the lead-taker this 4-day weekend. But it was not so.
Despite negative critical reception for the romance tale, it still managed to bring Nicolas Sparks'(the author of the novel) cramming the cinema halls. Horror movie producers should learn to release most of their features on Halloween as Safe Haven was released on Valentines' Day. Identity Thief, from the makers of my favourite comedy Horrible Bosses, opened to the first spot last week. IT is another analytical mishap showcasing that the top three tier have the same professional consensus. It took over Warm Bodies' position but the latter still remained strong on second as it was a surprise box-office success worldwide.
  Warm Bodies has an original story (yes it's a Hollywood movie) about a zombie falling in love with a human. And it's still a better love story than Twilight. Universal acclaim from critics was expected and I can't wait till it emerges on Blu-Ray.
  In an opposite case, A Good Day to Die Hard has a 16% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Whilst having a 82% approval rate from audiences on the site. And viewers with a high ratio of them being male aged 25 and above, gave it a CinemaScore grade of B+. Also to take into account is the fact that DH 5 is the only latest big-budget action flick of the week.This goes both domestically and internationally.
  If I had gotten out of the cinema hall after finishing the flick I would've rated it B+ as well. But my reviewer persona sees it differently. A full review on the Bruce Willis film is most probably coming soon on the blog. Though I can tell as many fans have already stated that this was not in the same league as Die Hard 4 or 1, being my favourite parts of the franchise.
  Die Hard is my best-loved action movie series. And I had great expectations that were broken. Still the opening of $25m is above-average. Worldwide, the film has even fared better at the overseas market taking the top position. A Good Day still has to open in a higher number of foreign countries so it has a great chance of matching Die Hard 4's $250m total outside of the states.
  Live Free or Die Hard was released in 2007 to critical acclaim (including my own). It was a way better movie than 2006's Mission Impossible 3 and showed that despite the third part being released in 1995, it made $383m globally on a budget of $110m. This is the most profitable aggregate of the entire 5-movie total
  At 4th is another new entry Escape from Planet Earth. An animated feature of a normal production cost featuring the voices of Brendan Frasier and Jessica Alba. The latter whose face has appeared on flop films lately that only the voice could be cast. And at 6th is the disaster Beautiful Creatures intended for Twilight-like audiences. Fortunately, it won't be turned into a franchise now due its underwhelming performance.  Die Hard 5 has a noticeably lesser budget of $92m and as of Feb 18, the confirmed international result is $116m. The 5th movie will probably not net more than Live Free or above it but it is still a commercial success for Fox Studios.
  That's all from me folks. Bruce Willis confirmed that he will star in two more Die Hard films before retiring from his character John McClane. The 6th movie, as quoted by him, is to be titled Old Habits Die Hard. Although, the title is the best of them all, the major milestone would be for the movie to be the ultimate.
  Don't forget to catch the trailer for the sizzling summer release Fast and Furious Six:

(Chart by Box Office Mojo)

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week # 1 N Hansel and Gret...

TWLWTitle (click to view)StudioWeekend Gross% ChangeTheater Count / ChangeAverageTotal GrossBudget*Week #
1 N Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters Par. $19,690,956 - 3,372 - $5,840 $19,690,956 $50 1
2 1 Mama Uni. $13,088,145 -53.9% 2,682 +35 $4,880 $48,875,585 $15 2
3 2 Zero Dark Thirty Sony $9,700,132 -38.6% 2,929 -17 $3,312 $69,803,979 $40 6
4 3 Silver Linings Playbook Wein. $9,444,039 -12.2% 2,641 +118 $3,576 $68,908,666 $21 11
5 N Parker FD $7,008,222 - 2,224 - $3,151 $7,008,222 - 1
6 7 Django Unchained Wein. $4,946,932 -36.2% 2,007 -509 $2,465 $146,236,758 $100 5
7 N Movie 43 Rela. $4,805,878 - 2,023 - $2,376 $4,805,878 $6 1
8 4 Gangster Squad WB $4,278,235 -50.5% 2,590 -513 $1,652 $39,725,102 $60 3
9 8 Les Miserables (2012) Uni. $4,221,055 -43.7% 2,201 -378 $1,918 $137,546,205 $61 5
10 5 Broken City Fox $4,019,558 -51.4% 2,622 +2 $1,533 $15,289,547 $35 2

Jeremy Renner is mostly known for a lot of films. He headlines the 2010 Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker. The latter director's film currently also has the 3rd place in the chart. Although he did not win in the Best Actor category, Renner went on to star in big-budget productions such as Mission Impossible 4 and the fourth Bourne movie.
  And not to forget his role as Hawkeye in both Thor and The Avengers. His roles are many in such mega budgets that it's hard to pin him down to a B-movie. Paramount's latest release Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters showcases that all those heavy costs return abundant revenues. The number 1 movie of the weekend also stars British starlet Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia) along with Famke Janssen (Mother in Taken 1 +2). Directed and co-written by Tommy Wirkola whose last theatrical movie was the cult Dead Snow in 2009, that included Nazi Zombies and was a dark-fantasy comedy. H and G falls into the same genre and has also become a hit in Russian theatres. The original tale was written by Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. So Hollywood did not hesitate to transform the innocent children into Witchhunters and give it both a 3-D and IMAX release.
  Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters has commenced with an approximate $20m off $50m and will definitely cross the $50m mark in the States alone. The second new entry Parker was destined to launch at no. 5. There are a number of reasons: Jason Statham hasn't had a good film since Crank 2 except The Expendables 1+2. Other releases like The Transporter 3 and Safe were well below average. So I don't expect much from his latest venture except Jennifer Lopez's presence. But even that did not save it from Box Office doom.
  The last new introduction is made by Movie 43 on the 7th spot. I never even heard of it coming out but it stars the biggest ensemble cast of all time. The list makes The Expendables series look weak in comparison. Sadly, even with such a cast and with a variety of experienced directors, it fell into both critical and commercial mayhem. Rotten Tomatoes has it scored with 4% and my favourite network Chicago Sun-Times giving it a 0 out 4 stars.

  The number in the title might refer to the number of recognised actors in the film. It has a total of 12 different storylines and I hope you can make out the big names in the poster. Movie 43 has grossed $4m from $6m in its opening domestic market. Even with the worldwide gross it won't be a blockbuster. Peter Farrelly of The Farrelly Brothers who've directed big comedy hits such as Dumb and Dumber, and Me, Myself and Irene, has directed two segments. The latter film being one of my favourite comedies of all time starring Jim Carrey. In addition, they directed The Three Stooges in 2011 which was above-average. But every director has his bad film. Maybe it was due to the lack of his brother's assistance that there were such non-optimistic reviews.
  Brett Ratner (Rush Hour series) has also directed a part and actress Elizabeth Banks also directing and starring in one.
  Horror film Mama is at number two and is based on a 2008 Spanish-language feature. The executive producer is Guilermo del Toro known for his obscure visionary works. Critics have praised the movie and it was in the top spot last week, mainly due to the anticipation of many horror fans of del Toro.
  Another interesting fact is that both Mama and Zero Dark Thirty star the pretty Jessica Chastain. Last year Charlize Theron had major roles in two movies that both coincided in the top 5.
  That's all from me folks. Check out the trailer of Zero Dark Thirty below based on the manhunt for Osama Bin Laden. Well, I also acknowledged the actual chase as a flick too.

 

 (Chart by Box Office Mojo)

As any true cowboy flick, it has one or two humorous characters, an innocent heroine and gritty action scenes. Mainly, it has a captivating ...

As any true cowboy flick, it has one or two humorous characters, an innocent heroine and gritty action scenes. Mainly, it has a captivating story which Lawless mostly lacked.
  Directed by John Hillcoat (The Road) with a screenplay by Nick Cave. The plot follows three bootlegging brothers who face opposition from a new deputy in town (Guy Pearce). And Pearce was brilliant as he is always in his selective roles. It had great expectations for this movie after viewing the trailer, as it had been a long time since I'd seen a high-budget horse opera flick. Clint Eastwood's era is still missed. Lawless had material but had no coordination in how to use it. It is based on a historical novel written by Matt Bondurant explaining the moonshining operation in Virginia, and the tale of his grandfather Jack Bondurant (Shia LaBeuof).
  However, there are plus points. The list of fine actors include the previously mentioned LaBeuof and Pearce, along with Gary Oldman from Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy as a renowned gunslinging gangster. The former had not many chances in off-mainstream movies and is best-known for his headlining in the Transformer series. He used to star in the teen comedy series Even Stevens where I became a fan of his. Needless to say, LaBeuof is still good thespian and his latest focus on choosing more determined parts is nice on the ears. He plays the youngest brother with Tom Hardy (Bane in The Dark Knight Rises) is the oldest and a greater unknown Jason Clarke is stuck in the middle. Jessica Chastain plays Hardy's love interest on-screen and sizzles. And #spoiler# she has a sexy nude scene. Dane DeHaan also acted to-the-role in a small capacity. The settings, background and score are brilliant and truly capture the essence of the wild, wild west.
  Still, there is no depth in the storyline. Only a few fights, scared and brave authorities make up the entire follow-through. Even the bootlegging of moonshine is not interestingly showcased. With better screenwriting and better attention to detail, Lawless would have been one of the best western movies of the decade.
  It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 65th Cannes.The film made $53m worldwide off $45m largely because of the mass cinema murder in Colorado last year. As mentioned a handful of times before in my blogposts.

Rotten Tomatoes: 67%.
IMDB: 7.3/10.
BO101: 2/4.

Retribution:    the act of punishing or taking vengeance for wrongdoing, sin, or injury. I solemnly swear to not watch another Resident Ev...

Retribution:  the act of punishing or taking vengeance for wrongdoing, sin, or injury.

 I solemnly swear to not watch another Resident Evil flick for the remainder of my critical years. Yes, the movie was that awful. And yes, CGI could not have been more over-used.
   Directed and written by the same Paul W.S. Anderson of the first 3 durable zombie flicks, and the fourth misused 3-D one. Based on the hit Capcom video game series although the franchise is based on 20% of the original storyline. The main character Alice does not even exist in the virtual universe and thus the absurdness. RE: Retribution made over $200m off $65m showing that the loyal fanbases could not stop Evil from spreading Global. It was released in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D.
  It is absurd to term Hollywood as preparing anything with an over $50-budget to proper standards. Retribution is more of a B-movie even with that production cost. It starts with suspenseful action and ends with it. Though the suspense makes no sense. Seriously, after Wrath of the Titans and Men in Black 3 I though the worst-of-2012 was over. But this made a place just below Titans. It seemed as if the Resident Evil screen-world was taking retribution on me for watching the prequels.
  The RE games are about surviving zombies or people affected by the virus made by Umbrella Corporation. Here there is a mix-up of undead figures, CGI, martial arts, horror, nonsense etc. Milla Jovovich cannot escape being typecast because of the high grosses and that the director is her husband. Sure is a marriage of convenience. This film has made me hate her more.
  Most characters from Extinction and Afterlife were not included. Although their absence is explained. Major cast members are from the first 2 flicks with their inclusion being dumbfounded. If there was a prequel to them, those people would've been included. Apart from the start-up scenes, there is no fright left. Why people continue to fill the seats in the theatre is beyond my reasoning. And above-average thriller like Alex Cross are given lower ratings than this. Truly proving that the voters on IMBD are real persons. 
  The only perks of RE: Retribution are some martial art exhibitions that were epic, specially the last fist battles, and some CGI applied well to scenes. The rest is Hollywood introducing such fan favourites like Leon S. Kennedy, Ada Wong from the shooter and raping their virtual existence.
  Anderson has confirmed the sixth part, and a seventh without Jovovich. Sony hopes for a reboot and I hope for a boot to Anderson's rear. There is still life in undead flicks. Check out the trailer for Warm Bodies releasing this February below:

Rotten Tomatoes: 31%.
IMDB: 5.2/10.
BO101: 1/4.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count  / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week # 1 N The Hobbit: An Un...

TWLWTitle (click to view)StudioWeekend Gross% ChangeTheater Count /ChangeAverageTotal GrossBudget*Week #
1NThe Hobbit: An Unexpected JourneyWB$84,617,303-4,045-$20,919$84,617,303-1
22Rise of the GuardiansP/DW$7,143,445-31.3%3,387-252$2,109$71,085,268$1454
34LincolnBV$7,033,132-21.1%2,285+271$3,078$107,687,319$656
41SkyfallSony$6,555,732-39.2%2,924-477$2,242$271,921,795$2006
55Life of PiFox$5,413,066-35.0%2,548-398$2,124$69,572,472$1204
63The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2Sum.$5,136,074-43.9%3,042-604$1,688$276,826,143$1205
77Wreck-It RalphBV$3,216,043-33.8%2,249-497$1,430$168,721,592$1657
86Playing for KeepsFD$3,146,443-45.3%2,840+3$1,108$10,737,535-2
98Red Dawn (2012)FD$2,408,882-43.1%2,250-504$1,071$40,904,305$654
1011Silver Linings PlaybookWein.$2,109,274-2.9%371-$5,685$16,979,323$215


The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the eagerly awaited prequel for fantasists of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Based on legendary British writer J.R.R. Tolkien's 1937 fantasy novel, The Hobbit earned an impressive $84m (estimated budget $180m) becoming the highest December debut in Hollywood history shattering 2009's I Am Legend's $77.2m.
  Now there has been a long time since a Will Smith movies hasn't grossed about or over $100m in the United States but with such a fan database and The Lord of the Rings being the 3rd highest-grossing novel ever with an estimated $150m sold, it had the reputation to debut with $100m but sadly missed.
  The prequel is also directed by the filmmaker of all previous 3 films Peter Jackson. Jackson is also known for high-budget adaptations of popular works such as King Kong in 2005. And his movies are money-making gems with Lord of the Rings grossing $2.92m on an overall budget of $285m. John Carter was one movie with a total production cost of $250m.

  2003's The Return of the King has the topmost cumulative of over $1 billion. The Hobbit may have been a long-awaited journey for cinema-goers but critics have deemed otherwise. With an 'unexpected' 65% on the Rotten Tomatoes tally, criticism has been based a lot on whether it matches up to the earlier parts. And also on the pacing of the movie that the fun is demolished before the final half-hour. Still, I will watch this when it comes out on blu-ray as I've seen the previous films with Return of the King being my solid action-packed favourite.
  But being a prequel also leaves potential viewers more in a wait-and-see position rather than just hurling themselves into the theatre seats. Next week's Jack Reacher will probably be on number 2 introducing with $25m-$35m according to BO101 statistics.
  Steven Spielberg's epic historical Lincoln has set records for most awards nominated. It has also surprisingly surpassed other Oscar nomination Argo's gross by a tiny margin in the US. Argo was a surprise hit stating that Ben Affleck still has some gross juice left and that his childhood friend Matt Damon is not the only face that sells tickets. Lincoln has grossed an impressive $107m in domestic markets. With main thespian Daniel Day-Lewis being a strong contender for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He was also brilliant in the other critically acclaimed movie There Will Be Blood.
  The last and yes, hopefully last Twilight part distributed by Summit Entertainment 'summits' to 6th position from number 3 with Skyfall on 4 with more weeks on the American box office. Still Breaking Dawn: Part 2 has become the first Twilight movie to make over $500m worldwide. And some say there's no such thing as luck.
  Skyfall will also make $1 billion at year's becoming the first film in the 23 film series of James Bond to do so. Lord of the Rings was only a 3-part series! Skyfall has also become the most paramount-grossing film of all time in the UK which does not come as a surprise. But yes after Quantum of Solace's being the 19th film on the British list this is a great achievement for the franchise and may be I'll be alive for the 50th anniversary flick.
  Silver Linings Playbook stars one of my favorite actors Bradley Cooper and curvy actress Jennifer Lawrence and it jumps up from 11 to 10 this weekend. It is also mounting to a 2013 Oscar nomination.  Denzel Washington's Flight exits the top 10 with over $84m in gross while The Collection is at 16 with $6m to its name. It has a bigger debut than its prequel but still is $1m behind The Collector. Maybe it will become more advanced at the end of the year after a superior amount of major country openings.
  That's all from me folks. The Hobbit has a better opening than Return of the King but with 3-D/IMAX premiums so it was very possible. Also, it has 222.8 million dollars internationally but I still think it won't match the 2003 final film's aggregate. Here's the HD trailer below: