Box Office Results: Frozen Retakes #1 Over Paranormal Activity

The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films and then check back on Monday for the final figures based on actual box office.

As the extended holiday weekend, with no schools in session and many people taking off from work causing booming movie business, came to a close as we kicked into 2014, only one new movie received a wide release on Friday, and that was the horror spin-off Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones. Paramount released the film in 2,867 theaters where it earned an estimated $18.2 million. Made for about $5 million, “The Marked Ones” averaged $6,348 per theater.

Still, “Paranormal Activity” fell short of taking the top spot allowing Walt Disney Animation Studios’ popular musical adventure Frozen to move back into first place for the first time since after Thanksgiving. The animated hit earned $20.7 million in its seventh weekend (sixth weekend in wide release) to take its domestic total to $297.8 million. Featuring the voices of Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana and Alan Tudyk, Frozen added $52.5 million internationally and has now earned $639.9 million worldwide, making it the second-highest grossing Disney Animation movie behind only The Lion King ($987.5 million).

Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug dropped down two spots to third with $16.3 million and has reached $229.6 million domestically after four weeks. Internationally, the Warner Bros./New Line release has earned $527 million and its global total is now $756 million.

Moving up one place to fourth, Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount) collected $13.4 million its second weekend to take its domestic total to $63.3 million.

Rounding out the top five was David O. Russell’s American Hustle (Sony), which brought in $13.2 million and has earned $88.7 million after four weeks.

Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues seemingly lost some of its return business playability in its third weekend, as it dropped down to sixth place (from third last week) with $11.1 million. The comedy sequel has earned an impressive $109.2 million domestically.

John Lee Hancock’s Saving Mr. Banks continues to do well, holding 33% of its post-Christmas business in the first frame of the new year. The Disney release added $9 million its fourth weekend to bring its total to $59.3 million.

That was followed in eighth place by Ben Stiller’s take on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (20th Century Fox), which earned $8.2 million. After two weeks, the movie has earned $45.7 million. Internationally, “Walter Mitty” hit $31.4 million this weekend for an overseas total of $68.8 million.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate) will surpass Iron Man 3‘s $409 million early this week to become the highest-grossing film released domestically in 2013. The sequel earned another $7.4 million this weekend and has now taken in $407.5 million. Overseas, “Catching Fire” has reached $423.4 million for a worldwide sum of $830.9 million.

Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films.