Movie

The neck-and-neck competition between the 'Snow Queen' adaptation and the 'Hunger Games' sequel leaves 'Out of the Furnace' far behind.

• Dec 9, 2013

AceShowbiz - "Frozen (2013)" wins a tight race to No. 1 on North American box office against "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire". Both are in its third weekend. The Disney film adds an estimated $31.6 million, blocking the adaptation of Suzanne Collins' second book from topping the chart for three weeks in a row.

Overseas, the 3D animation adds $30.6 million for a global total of $190.2 million. Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Snow Queen", the musical fantasy comedy drama is voiced by Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel and Jonathan Groff among others.

The sequel to 2012's "The Hunger Games", meanwhile, leaves the top spot to trade places with "Frozen" at the second place. Led by Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth, it takes in an estimated $27 million over the usually-slow weekend after Thanksgiving.

The Lionsgate movie has grossed $336.7 million domestically and rakes in $673.4 million worldwide, nearly beating the $691.2 million global haul posted by its predecessor last year.

The only major new release that makes it to the top 10 is "Out of the Furnace". Made on a reported $22 million budget, the Christian Bale-starring thriller starts at the third position with only $5.3 million debut. The Relativity film appeals mostly to male (60 percent).

Despite its strong cast ensemble that includes Zoe Saldana, Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe and "The Hunger Games" star Woody Harrelson, the movie co-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio scores just 51|percent| on Rotten Tomatoes and gets a C+ on CinemaScore.

The two spots left on the top 5 are filled Disney-distributed films. Former champ, Marvel's "Thor: The Dark World" led by Chris Hemsworth, sits at the fourth place with an additional $4.7 million. DreamWorks' dramedy "Delivery Man" starring Vince Vaughn follows with approximately $3.7 million.

1. "Frozen (2013)" - $31.6 million
2. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" - $27 million
3. "Out of the Furnace" - $5.3 million
4. "Thor: The Dark World" - $4.7 million
5. "Delivery Man" $3.7 million
6. "Homefront" - $3.3 million
7. "The Book Thief" - $2.7 million
8. "The Best Man Holiday" - $2.6 million
9. "Philomena" - $2.2 million
10. "Dallas Buyers Club" - $1.4 million