Movie

New releases 'Penguins of Madagascar' and 'Horrible Bosses 2' failed to match the 'Hunger Games' sequel's number by a long shot.

• Dec 1, 2014

AceShowbiz - "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1" remains strong on the U.S. box office despite new releases. According to studio estimates, the Lionsgate actioner added $83 million during the five-day Thanksgiving holiday and $56.9 million for the three-day weekend.

"It's very impressive: 'The Hunger Games' is just what the audience wanted for Thanksgiving," box office analyst for Rentrak, Paul Dergarabedian, said. "The movie was perfectly positioned with its opening, gained momentum and got a big Thanksgiving holiday boost."

"Mockingjay, Part 1" becomes the third-highest Thanksgiving five-day gross on record, falling just behind "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and "Frozen (2013)". It is also Lionsgate's fourth film to debut at number 1 on Thanksgiving weekend after "Catching Fire" and two "Twilight: Breaking Dawn" installments.

However, it was not much a competition on Thanksgiving weekend. "Penguins of Madagascar" debuted to an estimated $25.8 million, less than half of what "Mockingjay, Part 1" took in. The DreamWorks animation yet stands a chance to remain in the top positions of holiday box office. "Penguins is going to be in it for the long haul - it will be a presence through Christmas," Phil Contrino, analyst for BoxOffice.com, said. "It doesn't need a massive opening. Families will catch it when they catch it."

Another new release, "Horrible Bosses 2" scored approximately $15.7 million for the three-day weekend and fell to fifth place. It was trampled by "Big Hero 6", which made an estimated $18.8 million, and "Interstellar", which made approximately $15.8 million. The R-Rated comedy, starring Jason Bateman, fell far from its $40 million projection after scoring B+ on CinemaScore.

"The weekend was a little disappointing for us," said Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution for Warner Bros. "Tracking had a much higher number ...but this is a tough year for R-rated movies and we took a gamble."

1. "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1" - $56.9 million
2. "Penguins of Madagascar" - $25.8 million
3. "Big Hero 6" - $18.8 million
4. "Interstellar" - $15.8 million
5. "Horrible Bosses 2" - $15.7 million
6. "Dumb and Dumber To" - $8.3 million
7. "The Theory of Everything" -$5.1 million
8. "Gone Girl" - $2.5 million
9. "Birdman" - $1.9 million
10. "St. Vincent" - $1.8 million