"The Hobbit" may have held on to the box office for a second week in a row; however, its earnings are nowhere near where they should be.
And, that's a problem for the big $250 million budget film which is playing in IMAX, 3D, 3D IMAX, and high-frame rate versions.
In week two, the film has dropped nearly 60 percent in ticket sales growth. (The biggest loss recorded by a "Lord of the Rings" film was a 30 percent drop during week two of "The Return of the King.")
To date, the "LOTR" prequel has earned less than any of Jackson's previous Middle Earth films. (And, remember, each "LOTR" film cost under $100 million to make.)
Meanwhile, Tom Cruise's "Jack Reacher" didn't bomb; however, it didn't perform anywhere near as well as previous Christmas performances, "Valkyrie" and "Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol."
Instead, the most unexpected weekend flop came from Disney's 3D re-release of "Monsters, Inc."
And, "This is 40" continues Judd Apatow's streak of low-opening 2012 films.
Out of the top ten this week are Weinstein Company's hugely successful "Silver Linings Playbook," Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph," and "Red Dawn."
Gerard Butler's rom com "Playing for Keeps" finally takes a tumble in week three from spot eight to 20.
Here are this week's winners and losers at the box office:
10. Kristen Stewart's final installment of "Twilight" just clinches the last top spot in the top ten earning $2.6 million. The film may be falling off the box-office charts faster than "Skyfall" or "The Avengers," however, the vampire movie has earned more than any of the other films in the series with nearly $800 million worldwide.
9. "Life of Pi" holds steady for Fox earning adding another $3.8 million in week five. Ang Lee's adaptation has earned $235.8 million worldwide to date.
8. "Skyfall" finally makes a significant fall at the box office top roundup in week seven. Dropping four spots this week with $4.7 million, the 23rd Bond film has earned nearly $1 billion worldwide this year.
7. Disney may want to reconsider its 3D re-releases. Its latest trip down memory lane, "Monsters, Inc." earned a disappointing $5 million opening weekend. Compared to Disney's four other 3D re-releases ("The Lion King," "Toy Story," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Finding Nemo"), "Monsters, Inc." earned the lowest of any of the films opening weekend.
6. Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen's "Guilt Trip" following a mom heading cross country with her grown son turned up sour with a meager $5.7 million debut. Paramount's estimated budget sits at $40 million, a number the film will struggle to hit with a current 37% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and underwhelmed reviews.
5. Steven Spielberg's Oscar worthy "Lincoln" holds out in week seven earning $5.6 million. The film has earned a massive $116.8 million in U.S.
4. We knew "Rise of the Guardians" would stick around through the holiday season. The film's $5.9 million in week four is still nowhere near DreamWork's "How to Train Your Dragon" status, nor will it be; however, the film has picked up earning $142.9 million overseas to bring its worldwide gross to $222.6 million.
3. Judd Apatow's "sort-of" sequel to "Knocked Up," "This is 40," underperforms with $12 million. Back in 2007, the former earned $30.7 million opening weekend. Even 2009's unfunny "Funny People" debuted to $22.7 million. "This is 40" is another example of Apatow's underwhelming year at the box office after his "Wanderlust" bust with Jennifer Aniston and "The Five-Year Engagement." "This is 40" cost an estimated $35 million to produce.
2. "Jack Reacher" easily cruises into second place earning $15.6 million. Tom Cruise's latest action flick based on the novel "One Shot" by author Lee Child didn't exceed weekend expectations; however, the film didn't flop. Compared to Cruise's past two Christmas films, 2008's "Valkyrie" ($21 million) and last year's "Ghost Protocol" ($30 million), "Reacher" came up a bit short.
1. "The Hobbit" still reigns supreme with $36.7 million at the box office. Though the number may seem huge, it's a disappointment given both the trajectory of "The Lord of Rings" series earnings at this same point nearly a decade ago and the added bump 3D, IMAX, and high frame rate showings should produce.
Both "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King" earned more than $48 million in its second week. Instead, "The Hobbit," is currently tracking much closer to "The Fellowship of the Rings" which earned $38.7 million in the same week.
To date, the prequel has earned most of its money outside the U.S. bringing it to $433.9 million worldwide.
SEE ALSO:The highest-grossing films of 2012 >
Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
Join the conversation about this story »
