UPDATE: The top 3 films were bunched up as expected but it was the most family-friendly of the trio that took the top slot for the final weekend of 2012. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey surpassed the $220M mark, showing remarkable - if expected - staying power. Right behind is Django Unchained, on track to become Quentin Tarantino's biggest hit at the box office with $64M banked in its first six days. Les Misérables is running slightly ahead in total receipts ($67.5M) as both Django and Les Miz will run strong through the Oscars with a plethora of nominations assured for each. How about Jack Reacher? The Tom Cruise shoot-'em-up thriller dropped a minuscule 10% weekend-to-weekend for a 10-day total of $44.7M.
1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey $33M
2. Django Unchained $30.7M
3. Les Misérables $28M
4. Parental Guidance $14.8M
5. Jack Reacher $14M
As we kiss 2012 goodbye, the final money-making weekend of the year has arrived. It's an odd one, with two of the top three films, Les Miz and Django, getting their release on Christmas Day. Which means both have been banking big cash over the past three days – the former set the Christmas record ($18M), while the latter wasn't far behind ($15M). All this yammering leads to this: Don't blame me if my numbers are slightly jacked come Monday morning. This is a handicapped handicapping attempt.
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1. Les Misérables $32M - With its 'A' Cinemascore, Tom Hooper's miraculous rendition of the legendary musical is precisely what I expected, a crowd-pleaser of the most magnificent order.
2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey $29M - Will surpass the $200M mark domestically this weekend.
3. Django Unchained $25M - On pace to become Quentin Tarantino's biggest hit at the box office despite its ungodly level of violence and gratuitous use of the N-word. Those issues aside, it's one of 2012's most entertaining films start to finish.
4. Parental Guidance $11M - Good to see Billy Crystal back in front of a camera. Next up, finding him a project that doesn't stink.
