Newcomer Texas Chainsaw 3D won the weekend box office narrowly, edging out both Django Unchained and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Texas Chainsaw 3D was the only newcomer to the domestic box office this weekend, as it cut its way to $23 million, thanks in large part to rapper Trey Songz, who reportedly drew in 33% of the under 25 audience. With a solid opening despite the C+ CinemaScore, it still came in shy of the previous record for January horror opener that was The Devil Inside‘s $33.7 million.
In second place was Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, which took in $20 million and has now crossed the impressive $100 million domestic mark. Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey came in third place with $17.5 million, while Les Miserables also crossed the $100 million domestic mark, coming in fourth place with a $16.1 million haul.
Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land expanded over the weekend into 1,676 theaters, as it narrowly snuck into the top 10 with a $4.3 million haul. Zero Dark Thirty, meanwhile, expanded into 60 theaters and took in $2.7 million for a per theater average of $45,833; it expands nationwide next weekend.
Along with Zero Dark Thirty, next weekend brings Gangster Squad and A Haunted House to theaters, which should result in a knock off the top spot. With the Oscar nominations arriving Thursday, expect to see Zero Dark Thirty continue to perform well when it receives attention from The Academy.
Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 earners for the weekend of Jan. 4, 2012:
Weekend: $23 million
Theaters: 2,654
Budget: N/A
CinemaScore: C+
Rotten Tomatoes: 23%
2. Django Unchained – $20 million ($106.3 million total)
3. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – $17.5 million ($263.8 million total)
4. Les Miserables – $16.1 million ($103.6 million total)
5. Parental Guidance – $10.1 million ($52.7 million total)
6. Jack Reacher – $9.3 million ($64.8 million total)
7. This Is 40 – $8.5 million ($54.4 million total)
8. Lincoln – $5.2 million ($143.9 million total)
9. Monster’s, Inc. 3D – $4.5 million ($31.2 million total)
10. Promised Land – $4.3 million ($4.6 million total)
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