A few months ago there was talk of Oscars for Lone Survivor. While that talk has died down, the film can take plenty of solace from an exceedingly good US opening, where it took $38.5 million over the weekend (it had been playing on a couple of screens before that, but only so it could qualify for the Oscars, which demand a movie opened on at least one screen in LA or New York before December 31st).
It’s the second biggest January opening ever after Cloverfield’s $40.1 million. It’s also a lot better than most other movies that have concentrated on the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The only other new entry was The Legend Of Hercules, which placed fourth with $8.6 million. It’s not a great start but about in line with expectations due to its lack of marquee names. Kellan Lutz is Hercules, but even his copious shirtlessness couldn’t turn it into a hit. Modest marketing and the fact there was little to make it stand out didn’t help either.
Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of January 10th-12th.
| Rank | Title | Weekend Gross (millions) | Total Gross to date (millions) |
| 1 | Lone Survivor | $38.5 | $38.8 |
| 2 | Frozen | $15.0 | $317.6 |
| 3 | The Wolf Of Wall Street | $9.0 | $78.5 |
| 4 | The Legend Of Hercules | $8.6 | $8.6 |
| 5 | American Hustle | $8.6 | $101.5 |
| 6 | The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug | $8.0 | $242.2 |
| 7 | August: Osage County | $7.3 | $7.8 |
| 8 | Saving Mr. Banks | $6.5 | $68.9 |
| 9 | Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones | $6.3 | $28.4 |
| 10 | Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues | $6.1 | $118.5 |
It was a busy weekend for new releases at the US box office, but in the end none of them could beat out The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, which topped the charts again with $29.8 million. Perhaps more impressive though was Frozen in second place. It’s $28.8 million is the second highest ever (behind Avatar) for a movie in its sixth week of release, and pushes the movie up to be Disney’s second highest grossing animated movie in the US, with only The Lion King beating it.
With a lot of films battling it out at the US box office, it wasn’t clear going into the weekend which would end up on top. In the end The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug took the number one spot, with $31.4 million.
Ever since Anchorman: The Legend Continues was announced, it’s been suggested the movie would get some good star cameo. We already knew Harrison Ford had a decent sized role in the movie and there’s been suggestions that John C. Reilly will be showing up to. However now Nicole Kidman has signed on for an uncredited cameo role in the comedy sequel.
With shooting finally kicking off on Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, the cast continues to grow, with Greg Kinnear and Josh Lawson joining the ensemble as production continues in Atlanta.