“Hobbit” Melts “Frozen,” Takes No. 1 Spot at Weekend Box Office

Warner Bros.(LOS ANGELES) — The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, was tops at the box office this weekend.

The Warner Bros. film raked in an estimated $73.7 million in the U.S. between Friday and Sunday, according to Rentrack, taking the top spot from Disney’s animated hit, Frozen.

Smaug is the second film in Peter Jackson’s trilogy, which is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel. Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace and Orlando Bloom star in the Hobbit sequel.

Frozen was No. 2 at the box office this weekend, pulling in an estimated $22.2 million in the U.S. and bringing the flick’s overall U.S. ticket sales to an estimated $164.4 million.

Rounding out the top three was Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas; the Lionsgate film generated $16 million in ticket sales during its debut weekend.

Here are the top 10 movies from Friday through Sunday, according to Rentrak:

1. The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug
2. Frozen
3. Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas
4. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
5. Thor: The Dark World
6. Out Of The Furnace
7. Delivery Man
8. Philomena
9. The Book Thief
10. Homefront

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