LOS ANGELES: “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” remained the top-selling motion picture in US and Canadian theaters for a third weekend as 2013 box-office sales neared an annual record.
“The Desolation of Smaug,” the second of three films from works by J.R.R. Tolkien, generated $29.9 million for Time Warner’s Warner Bros. and MGM, beating five new wide releases, Rentrak said in an e-mailed statement on Sunday. Among the debuts, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” Martin Scorsese’s picture about penny stockbroker Jordan Belfort, took in $18.5 million and finished fifth for Viacom’s Paramount Pictures.
The strong lineup of weekend films is carrying sales at US and Canadian theaters toward the $10.8 billion annual record set last year, according to Rentrak. The latest “Hobbit” has helped Warner Bros. cement the No. 1 position at the domestic box office this year, with $1.81 billion in revenue as of Thursday, according to Box Office Mojo, another industry researcher.
“’The Hobbit’ is keeping its position as the winter blockbuster,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Rentrak, before the sales were announced. “It’s giving Warner Bros. a nice push at the end of the year.”
As of Thursday, “The Desolation of Smaug” has garnered $436.8 million in global ticket sales since its release more than two weeks ago, with 63 percent from overseas, according to Box Office Mojo. Its predecessor produced $1.02 billion in its theatrical run, with 70 percent from international markets.
Martin Freeman returns in “The Desolation of Smaug” as the hobbit Bilbo Baggins and Ian McKellen reprises Gandalf, the wizard. The movie picks up where the last one ended, with Baggins, Gandalf and their dwarf friends continuing the quest to reclaim their homeland, Erebor, from the dragon Smaug.
“The Desolation of Smaug” was expected to take in $29.5 million this weekend, according to BoxOffice.com.
“The Wolf of Wall Street,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was projected by BoxOffice.com to open with sales of $23.8 million.
‘Hobbit’ sequel stays atop cinemas, beating five new films
