Director Kathryn Bigelow’s hunt-for-bin Laden espionage thriller Zero Dark Thirty expanded to 2,937 cinemas in the US this weekend following the announcement of the Oscar nominations, earning $24 million and topping the domestic charts. The critically lauded and politically controversial film scored four Oscar nominations, including a coveted Best Picture nod. Lead actress Jessica Chastain also picked up the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama at the ceremony last night. The film will be released in the UK Jan. 25.
On the international charts, Life of Pi and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey once again took the top two spots, earning $33.2 million and $26.1 million respectively. Life of Pi has now grossed an impressive $357.4 million overseas, while The Hobbit soared past the $600 million mark in international sales, landing at $608 million so far. The fantasy prequel by Peter Jackson placed sixth on the US charts, earning $9.1 million.
In a surprise feat, Paranormal Activity spoof A Haunted House came in second on the US charts with $24 million, beating the star-studded crime drama Gangster Squad, which came in third with $16.7 million. Exit polls suggest the parody’s success was fueled by African-American and Latino moviegoers, who made up 78% of the audience together. Gangster Squad, which stars Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, and Josh Brolin, somehow missed the mark and actually experienced a sharper decline in sales over the course of the weekend than A Haunted House. Gangster Squad placed sixth internationally with $9.1 million.
Rounding out the top five in the US were Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained with $11.6 million and Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables with $10.1 million. Les Mis ranked third internationally with $25.5 million. Both Oscar Best Picture nominees broke records – Django surpassed Inglourious Basterds as Tarantino’s highest-grossing movie ever, having earned $125.4 million, while Les Miserables achieved the biggest opening ever for a musical in the UK, earning $13.4 million.
Fourth and fifth at the international box office were Jack Reacher starring Tom Cruise with $17.6 million and animated family film Wreck-It Ralph with $11.6 million.
Last week’s number one US film, Texas Chainsaw 3D, experienced a sharp drop from $23 million last weekend to $5.2 million this weekend, which is on par with the pattern of other horror flicks including last January’s The Devil Inside. It trailed Lincoln with $6.3 million and Parental Guidance with $6.1 million. Indie dramedy Silver Linings Playbook had its best weekend yet, boosted by a Best Picture nomination and a gradual expansion, earning $5 million.
Next weekend’s major US releases include Jessica Chastain-starring horror film Mama, crime thriller Broken City and action flick The Last Stand, while Django Unchained will debut in the UK.
