The long Thanksgiving weekend didn't provide much of a boost to any of the movies in release this year. The Hunger Games easily came out on top with $56 million over the three day weekend and $80 million since Wednesday, bringing its total to $225 million. That's a big haul to be sure, but it's not holding on as well as Catching Fire, which means Guardians of the Galaxy will probably retain its crown as box office champ of the year. Meanwhile, the new release Penguins of Madagascar grossed $25 million over the weekend and $36 million total since Thanksgiving- Big Hero 6 is still hanging on well and likely cut into its grosses this week, as its own total grew to a mighty $167 million.
Horrible Bosses 2, the other new release, didn't do as well as the first, bringing in just $15 million when the first one did $28 million two years ago. Interstellar rounded out the top five while Gone Girl finally fell out of the top five after its seventh week in release, ending at about $160 million for a staggeringly successful run.
Top 5:
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1- $56.9 million
- Penguins of Madagascar- $25.8 million
- Big Hero 6- $18.8 million
- Interstellar- $15.8 millon
- Horrible Bosses 2- $15.7 million
In limited release, the big story was the monster opening of The Imitation Game, as it debuted on 4 screens to a $122k PTA, for a total of $487k over the weekend. It flew past the other limited releases this year (right behind Grand Budapest for second biggest per screen average of the year) and earned the rare "A+" Cinemascore from audiences. This one looks to do great business going forward, in line with The Weinstein Co.'s previous Oscar-friendly biopic The King's Speech, back in 2010. Next week it will be the limited releases of more Oscar hopefuls in Wild and Still Alice, each boasting Best Actress contenders in Reese Witherspoon and Julianne Moore, so tune in as Oscar season rolls on.
