What You Missed: Jan. 6, 2015

Written by O’Boyd

Another new feature in Cinema Corner 2.0 is our wrap-up file of all the movie-related events from the day. Think the Drudge Report meets Hollywood.

Why should you have to search all over the Internet for movie news when you can get it all right here. We’ll list here some of the stuff we’ve posted from earlier in the day along with other items we think you should check out. Each day, we hope to provide you with a roundup of sorts of the things we believe you’ll enjoy and want to read about.

As always, enjoy.

Today is Positivity Monday, thanks to SpongeBob SquarePants. Click on our link below about Mondays to get the full details.

OUR HEADLINES

What You Missed: Jan. 5, 2015 (NEW)

Producers Guild of America releases nominees for top awards (NEW)

‘Five Armies’ marches to third straight weekend victory (NEW)

Coming to DVD, Blu-Ray and Netflix: Jan. 5, 2015 (NEW)

The Playlist has first images of Natalie Portman’s ‘Jane’s Got a Gun’ (NEW)

Hate Mondays? SpongeBob is gonna help you with that (NEW)

Marvel releases human-sized teaser trailer for ‘Ant-Man’ (NEW)

MovieWeb.com has “short list” of nominees for The Razzies (NEW)

Total Film, Empire release first photos of ‘Crimson Peak’

‘Exodus’ falls short of miraculous

Cinema Corner: Jan. 1, 2015

Much more to ‘Wild’ than just the story

 GET TICKETS

Coming to Theaters: Jan. 2, 2015 (NEW)

You can always click here to get more movie news and to order tickets online for the latest films in theaters.

Fandango.com          AMC Theatres        MovieTickets.com

Be sure to check out RottenTomatoes.com, which collects and posts reviews for all the films coming out this week.

THE REST OF THE NEWS

Russell Crowe’s evolution as an actor, from artist Jeff Victor. Check out his site for some other great illustrations, including one honoring the late Robin Williams.

• Casey Affleck is replacing Matt Damon in the family drama “Manchester-By-the-Sea. (NEW)

• Director Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman: The Secret Service) isn’t a particular fan of Christopher Nolan’s style of superhero films. (NEW)

• Scarlett Johansson will star in Rupert Sanders’ big-budget adaptation of “Ghost in the Shell,” which is based on the popular Japanese manga. (NEW)

• The Daily Mail in London found a man who asked his bride-to-be to marry him reminiscent of a romantic scene in “The Notebook.” (NEW)

• Ben Schnetzer (“Pride”) and Nick Jonas (“Kingdom”) are close to deals to play brothers in “Goat,” a film that James Franco’s Rabbit Bandini Productions will lead, The Wrap reports. (NEW)

• Josh Gad may play Roger Ebert in the indie movie “Russ & Roger Go Beyond,” which already has Will Ferrell attached. (NEW)

• JoBlo.com has the first image of Olivia Wilde, who will star in “The Lazarus Effect,” which hits theaters on Feb. 27. It also stars Evan Peters, Mark Duplass and Donald Glover. (NEW)

• Three members of the film “The Raid 2” will also be a part of “The Force Awakens.” (NEW)

• “Revenge of the Sith” in 3D will premiere at Star Wars Celebration 2015. (NEW)

• Somebody’s gonna get left out when the nominees are named for Best Actor. Could Steve Carrell be that guy?

VIDEO CLIPS AND MORE

Check out this stop-motion animation short film “Death and the Robot,” by Austin Taylor, a student at the University of North Carolina’s School of the Arts. You can read more about it at FirstShowing.net.

• Bradley Cooper dishes on “American Sniper,” putting on 40 pounds, turning 40 and whether he’ll return for the sequel to “Guardians of the Galaxy.” (Hint: He said “Hell, yeah.”) (NEW)

• BadAssDigest.com is running a series of short stories and clips on Oscar snubs. This one is about why Clark Gable was not nominated for Best Actor in “Gone With the Wind.” (NEW)

• Patton Oswalt says he would see 250 or more movies a year until “The Phantom Menace” came out. That’s when his movie addiction changed. (NEW)

• Yahoo! Movies explains why The Razzies needs to be retired. (NEW)

• The Disney blog Oh My Disney has come cool concept art “you’ve never seen” for “Aladdin.” By the way, this film came out 22 years ago.

• Rene Russo dishes on “Nightcrawler,” career regrets and more with Vulture.com.

LISTS, BESTS, WORSTS

The parody trailer for a Calvin and Hobbes movie is … interesting, to say the least.

• Variety: 17 standout scenes from film in 2014. (NEW)

• Vulture: The critics pick the worst movies of 2014.

• USA Today: Eight films you missed but need to see and can via streaming.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Bradley Cooper, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall

I’m always fascinated with celebrity birthdays (especially finding out who has a birthday when I have mine). IMDB.com has a neat daily list of all the Hollywood people who have birthdays. Here’s the Jan. 5 list.

What You Missed: Jan. 5, 2015

Written by O’Boyd

Another new feature in Cinema Corner 2.0 is our wrap-up file of all the movie-related events from the day. Think the Drudge Report meets Hollywood.

Why should you have to search all over the Internet for movie news when you can get it all right here. We’ll list here some of the stuff we’ve posted from earlier in the day along with other items we think you should check out. Each day, we hope to provide you with a roundup of sorts of the things we believe you’ll enjoy and want to read about.

As always, enjoy.

From Dorkly.com: What if Luke Skywalker had accepted Darth Vader’s proposal in “The Empire Strikes Back.” Check out the full story here.

OUR HEADLINES

What You Missed: Jan. 4, 2015 (NEW)

‘Five Armies’ marches to third straight weekend victory (NEW)

The Playlist has first images of Natalie Portman’s ‘Jane’s Got a Gun’ (NEW)

Hate Mondays? SpongeBob is gonna help you with that (NEW)

Marvel releases human-sized teaser trailer for ‘Ant-Man’ (NEW)

MovieWeb.com has “short list” of nominees for The Razzies (NEW)

Total Film, Empire release first photos of ‘Crimson Peak’

ComingSoon.net has first photos of newest ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film

Mark Wahlberg trying to develop ‘Boardwalk Empire’ film

‘The Interview’ has one final red band trailer release, will expand to pay TV, other theaters

Walt Disney Studios releases ‘Cinderella’ countdown clip

‘Exodus’ falls short of miraculous

Cinema Corner: Jan. 1, 2015

Much more to ‘Wild’ than just the story

 GET TICKETS

Coming to Theaters: Jan. 2, 2015 (NEW)

You can always click here to get more movie news and to order tickets online for the latest films in theaters.

Fandango.com          AMC Theatres        MovieTickets.com

Be sure to check out RottenTomatoes.com, which collects and posts reviews for all the films coming out this week.

THE REST OF THE NEWS

Anthony Hopkins trying on different masks for “Silence of the Lambs.” Click here to see each image.

• Variety says if you have doubts about North Korea’s involvement in the Sony hack … don’t. (NEW)

• And North Korea, obviously, responds to the U.S. sanctions and “The Interview. (NEW)

• Check out these photos from Variety of the 26th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala, which kicks off the movie awards season. (NEW)

• “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” remains No. 1 in the DVD sales market. (NEW)

VIDEO CLIPS AND MORE

Cosplay Boom has a video about the people who dress up as characters from “The Hobbit.”

• Vulture speaks with screenwriter J.C. Chandor about the wild chase scene in “A Most Violent Year.” (NEW)

• Cinema Blend gives us three reasons why a David Fincher-led “Spider-man” would be better than anything else out there.

• Entertainment Weekly fact-checks “Selma.”

• Vulture explains how “Foxcatcher” got from an idea to a film.

LISTS, BESTS, WORSTS

Ten things you probably didn’t know about “Spaceballs.” Click here to see the story and clips from Geek Tyrant.

• Variety: Movie stars that had a rough 2014. (NEW)

• The Hollywood Reporter: Roger Ebert’s 20 best- and worst-reviewed films.

• Collider: Previewing its most anticipated films of 2015.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

 

Julia Ormond, Dave Foley, Matt Frewer

I’m always fascinated with celebrity birthdays (especially finding out who has a birthday when I have mine). IMDB.com has a neat daily list of all the Hollywood people who have birthdays. Here’s the Jan. 4 list.

What You Missed: Jan. 4, 2015

Written by O’Boyd

Another new feature in Cinema Corner 2.0 is our wrap-up file of all the movie-related events from the day. Think the Drudge Report meets Hollywood.

Why should you have to search all over the Internet for movie news when you can get it all right here. We’ll list here some of the stuff we’ve posted from earlier in the day along with other items we think you should check out. Each day, we hope to provide you with a roundup of sorts of the things we believe you’ll enjoy and want to read about.

As always, enjoy.

Could this be a new TIE fighter in “The Force Awakens?” IndieRevolver.com explains.

OUR HEADLINES

What You Missed: Jan. 3, 2015 (NEW)

Marvel releases human-sized teaser trailer for ‘Ant-Man’ (NEW)

MovieWeb.com has “short list” of nominees for The Razzies (NEW)

Total Film, Empire release first photos of ‘Crimson Peak’

ComingSoon.net has first photos of newest ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film

Mark Wahlberg trying to develop ‘Boardwalk Empire’ film

‘The Interview’ has one final red band trailer release, will expand to pay TV, other theaters

Walt Disney Studios releases ‘Cinderella’ countdown clip

‘Exodus’ falls short of miraculous

Cinema Corner: Jan. 1, 2015

Much more to ‘Wild’ than just the story

‘Taken’ franchise has made some Americans uneasy about traveling to Europe

Sony hacks could have come from within; FBI stands behind North Korea theory

Fandango poll deems “The Force Awakens” as most eagerly awaited film of 2015

 GET TICKETS

Coming to Theaters: Jan. 2, 2015 (NEW)

You can always click here to get more movie news and to order tickets online for the latest films in theaters.

Fandango.com          AMC Theatres        MovieTickets.com

Be sure to check out RottenTomatoes.com, which collects and posts reviews for all the films coming out this week.

THE REST OF THE NEWS

So Neill Blomkamp had a few ideas about to ramp up the “Alien” franchise. He posted a few of his ideas to his Instagram account that blew people’s minds. Read the story and see the other photos in Entertainment Weekly.

• Sylvester Stallone wrote on his Twitter account earlier this week that the last “Rambo” film would be called “Rambo: Last Blood.” Variety and other media outlets comfirmed that on Saturday.

• IGN.com is running reader polls for the best in certain categories. The first one is Best Movie Supporting Actress. Click here to vote. (I chose Emma Stone for “Birdman.”)

• To no real surprise, we’ll have a “Jurassic World” commercial in the Super Bowl.

• The fascinating story of the making of “American Sniper” by The Hollywood Reporter.

VIDEO CLIPS AND MORE

Eddie Redmayne is getting a lot of buzz for his performance in “The Theory of Everything.” But he didn’t do so well trying out as Bilbo Baggins.

• Collider.com has an interesting gallery about New Zealand’s Hobbiton with over 60 images from the film set that’s been turned into a tourist attraction.

• The Hollywood Reporter has a Q&A with Kevin Coster for his film “Black or White.”

• The Hollywood Reporter’s Q&A with Christopher Nolan about “Interstellar” critics and more.

• BadAss Digest takes an interesting look at the film “Forrest Gump.”

LISTS, BESTS, WORSTS

From Fandango and Movies.com: Your January movie guide, from theaters to DVD/Blu-Ray and VOD. Click on the photo for a bigger image.

• Variety: 10 directors to watch in 2015.

• Screen Rant: 25 most anticipated films in 2015.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Mel Gibson, Robert Loggia, Dabney Coleman

I’m always fascinated with celebrity birthdays (especially finding out who has a birthday when I have mine). IMDB.com has a neat daily list of all the Hollywood people who have birthdays. Here’s the Jan. 3 list.

What You Missed: Jan. 3, 2015

Written by O’Boyd

Another new feature in Cinema Corner 2.0 is our wrap-up file of all the movie-related events from the day. Think the Drudge Report meets Hollywood.

Why should you have to search all over the Internet for movie news when you can get it all right here. We’ll list here some of the stuff we’ve posted from earlier in the day along with other items we think you should check out. Each day, we hope to provide you with a roundup of sorts of the things we believe you’ll enjoy and want to read about.

As always, enjoy.

So 15 minutes can save you 15 percent on car insurance? Well, how about 15 seconds giving you a tease about the newest “Avengers: Age of Ultron” trailer? Sign me up.

OUR HEADLINES

What You Missed: Jan. 2, 2015 (NEW)

Coming to Theaters: Jan. 2, 2015 (NEW)

MovieWeb.com has “short list” of nominees for The Razzies (NEW)

Total Film, Empire release first photos of ‘Crimson Peak’ (NEW)

ComingSoon.net has first photos of newest ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film (NEW)

Mark Wahlberg trying to develop ‘Boardwalk Empire’ film (NEW)

‘The Interview’ has one final red band trailer release, will expand to pay TV, other theaters (NEW)

Walt Disney Studios releases ‘Cinderella’ countdown clip (NEW)

‘Exodus’ falls short of miraculous (NEW)

Cinema Corner: Jan. 1, 2015 (NEW)

Much more to ‘Wild’ than just the story (NEW)

‘Taken’ franchise has made some Americans uneasy about traveling to Europe (NEW)

Sony hacks could have come from within; FBI stands behind North Korea theory (NEW)

Fandango poll deems “The Force Awakens” as most eagerly awaited film of 2015 (NEW)

 GET TICKETS

You can always click here to get more movie news and to order tickets online for the latest films in theaters.

Fandango.com          AMC Theatres        MovieTickets.com

Be sure to check out RottenTomatoes.com, which collects and posts reviews for all the films coming out this week.

THE REST OF THE NEWS

The first trailer for “Ant-Man” will be seen during the premiere of ABC television show “Agent Carter” on Tuesday at 8 p.m. Remember, Marvel tried to do this before with the first “Avengers: Age of Ultron” trailer for “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and that didn’t work out quite as well. (NEW)

• If you happened to notice, Marvel pulls a fast one by showing all the cool scenes in “ant size” for the above trailer. But Cinema Blend has blown things up, literally, to get some answers. (NEW)

• The U.S. has announced sanctions against North Korea over the Sony hack and delay in the release of “The Interview.” (NEW)

• Zoe Saldana has given birth to twins. (NEW)

Jaume R. Lioret put together every death scene in a Quentin Tarantino film. Click here to see the Vimeo video.

• The script for a new “Masters of the Universe” film is finished by “Kick Ass 2” director Jeff Wadlow. (NEW)

• “Foxcatcher” wrestler Mark Schultz apologizes for his Twitter rage, but stands by criticism of the film.

• “Selma” will be shown for free in Selma, Ala., according to Variety.

VIDEO CLIPS AND MORE

Screen Junkies’ epic explosions video to ring in 2015.

• A 16-year wait finally pays off for “Unbroken’s” producer, Matthew Baer.

• Four big reasons we’re not going to the movies as much anymore.

LISTS, BESTS, WORSTS

Moviefone asks the burning question … why did Snape stand in the middle of the road?

• Entertainment Weekly: EW’s 2014 Movie Awards.

• Screen Crush: Ranking Tim Burton’s movies.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

 

Dax Shepard, Kate Bosworth, Cuba Gooding Jr.

I’m always fascinated with celebrity birthdays (especially finding out who has a birthday when I have mine). IMDB.com has a neat daily list of all the Hollywood people who have birthdays. Here’s the Jan. 2 list.

What You Missed: Jan. 2, 2015

Written by O’Boyd

Another new feature in Cinema Corner 2.0 is our wrap-up file of all the movie-related events from the day. Think the Drudge Report meets Hollywood.

Why should you have to search all over the Internet for movie news when you can get it all right here. We’ll list here some of the stuff we’ve posted from earlier in the day along with other items we think you should check out. Each day, we hope to provide you with a roundup of sorts of the things we believe you’ll enjoy and want to read about.

As always, enjoy.

Fandango and Movies.com have combined to put together this incredible graphic of the box office in 2014. Click the picture to see a bigger version of it.

OUR HEADLINES

‘Exodus’ falls short of miraculous (NEW)

Cinema Corner: Jan. 1, 2015 (NEW)

Much more to ‘Wild’ than just the story (NEW)

ComingSoon.net has first photos of newest ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film (NEW)

Mark Wahlberg trying to develop ‘Boardwalk Empire’ film (NEW)

‘The Interview’ has one final red band trailer release, will expand to pay TV, other theaters (NEW)

Walt Disney Studios releases ‘Cinderella’ countdown clip (NEW)

‘Taken’ franchise has made some Americans uneasy about traveling to Europe (NEW)

Sony hacks could have come from within; FBI stands behind North Korea theory (NEW)

Fandango poll deems “The Force Awakens” as most eagerly awaited film of 2015 (NEW)

What You Missed: Jan. 1, 2015 (NEW)

 GET TICKETS

You can always click here to get more movie news and to order tickets online for the latest films in theaters.

Fandango.com          AMC Theatres        MovieTickets.com

Be sure to check out RottenTomatoes.com, which collects and posts reviews for all the films coming out this week.

THE REST OF THE NEWS

ScreenRant.com has an awesome breakdown of the films coming in early 2015. Click here to check it out.

• Estimates have “The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies” winning the box office this weekend. (NEW)

Armie Hammer (“The Lone Ranger,” “Social Network”) and wife Elizabeth Chambers debut their baby girl, Harper, on Instagram. (NEW)

• North Korea is no longer showing films from countries such as China and Russia following “The Interview.”

• Veteran actor John Hurt (Snowpiercer) is now Sir John Hurt.

• Ben Affleck credits his wife, Jennifer Garner, for his career turnaround.

VIDEO CLIPS AND MORE

happyhour has a leaked lightsaber scene from “The Force Awakens.” Or at least that’s what they tell us.

• The Hollywood Reporter has an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the costumes, hairstyling, makeup and more for “Into the Woods.” (NEW)

• Vulture sat down for a one-on-one with Benedict Cumberbatch. Also, check out a photo shoot they did with him that turned into a series of funny memes.

• The Hollywood Reporter talked with Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki about the “single shot” look that’s in “Birdman.”

LISTS, BESTS, WORSTS

Hot Toys has another cool Marvel toy, Thanos (IT’S AN ACTION FIGURE, NOT A TOY), that you can get your hands on.

• 20 movies to help get over a hangover. Of course, No. 1 is … “The Hangover.” (NEW)

• Screen Rant: The 2014 box office review. (NEW)

• Yahoo! Movies: 40 movies they are most excited for in 2015. (NEW)

• Cinema Blend: The 10 biggest superhero questions we think we will be answered in 2015.

• Entertainment Weekly: The weirdest things that happened in 2014.

• Variety: 17 underrated films of 2014.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

  

Frank Langella, Verne Troyer, Morris Chestnut

I’m always fascinated with celebrity birthdays (especially finding out who has a birthday when I have mine). IMDB.com has a neat daily list of all the Hollywood people who have birthdays. Here’s the Jan. 1 list.

Cinema Corner: Jan. 1, 2015

Reviews by Roger Thomas. Design by Jason O. Boyd, The Stanly News & Press. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Much more to ‘Wild’ than just the story

Written by Roger Thomas

Let me begin with a confession. My mother passed away in October of 2013. It has been 14 months now.

For the longest time, at least eight or nine months, whenever my children accomplished anything – a good grade, a part in a play, becoming a JV cheerleader – my first impulse was to grab my cell phone and call my mother. Sometimes I would be reaching for the phone or have it in my hand and then the thought would run through my mind, “Oh yeah, I do not call her anymore, at least not through the phone.”

 GET TICKETS

You can always click here to get more movie news and to order tickets online for the latest films in theaters.

Fandango.com          AMC Theatres        MovieTickets.com

“Wild” is a film about a great many things. It is based on a book written by Cheryl Strayed, who actually lived most of the events in the film. After the death of her mother, Cheryl decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, which spans 1,100 miles.

During the film, Cheryl (played with perfection by Reese Witherspoon) hikes the trail, encounters a wide variety of people and does a lot of reflecting on her past. (Her recollections are presented in flashbacks that develop Cheryl’s relationships and also gives the audience a perspective on all the foolish choices she has made.)

There are moments when a young attractive woman hiking a trail alone seems like it might be one of her biggest mistakes. Ultimately this journey, physically and psychologically, turns out to be the very best thing she could have possibly chosen to pursue.

I write often about how many trailers give away far too much of the plot of the film. I went into a screening of “Wild” expecting just that. I knew where the film was going and how it would end. Some of the best moments in “Wild” are revealed in the trailer, but this small film, from start to finish, offers so much more than some of the huge budget epics coming out as awards season heats up.

The performances by Witherspoon and Laura Dern as Cheryl’s mother are both Oscar-worthy. There are a handful of strong supporting roles that flesh out the present story and the memories of the past.

Jean-Marc Vallee, who directed my third favorite film of last year, “Dallas Buyers Club,” expertly directs “Wild.” The screenplay is written by the real Cheryl Strayed and Nick Hornby. (Hornby got an Oscar nomination for his brilliant screenplay “An Education,” a film far too few people have seen.)

The cinematography in “Wild” is beautiful. I am pretty sure I am too old to walk that trail, but I have to admit, the scenery the film displays tempts me.

However in the end, it is the stories, the one on the trail, and the one playing out in the mind of the hiker, that makes this film remarkable. Make no mistake, Cheryl’s life before the trail, and after her mother’s tragedy, is a very sordid experience.

The film’s R rating is mostly due to the content of the flashbacks. Her choices in grief are a bit harsher than most experience, even at the death of someone so important in our lives. But in the end, loss is brutal, no matter how we end up processing it while striving to move forward on the trail of life.

There is one moment toward the end of the film when Cheryl reflects on her life and counts even her moral missteps as essential to the person she has become. I guess our philosophies differ in this case. I think our sins can ultimately leave us with consequences that force us to become better people, but I would be hesitant to ever claim, “I would make the same mistakes again if I could.”

I am not sure how “Wild” would have played in my head if my mother were still with me. It most likely would have affected me less. But as I have said a hundred times or more, “We all view films through the prism of our individual lives.”

Because I still miss my mother, and Cheryl’s grief resonates acutely within me, “Wild” has become one of my favorite experiences of this year at the cinema.

Last ‘Hobbit’ movie has lasting power over holiday competition

Written by O’Boyd

Despite a bevy of films released on Christmas Day, “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” is proving to be more than a one-hit wonder.

The film collected $41.4 million through the long holiday weekend and now stands at $168.5 million domestically. It beat out “Unbroken,” which debuted at No. 2 with 31.7 million. It just did beat out Disney’s “Into The Woods,” which had $31 million.

Rounding out the top five were “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” which held its ground in its second week of release with 20.6 million, and “Annie,” which made $16.6 million despite poor reviews from critics.

“The Interview,” the Seth Rogen/James Franco film that was pulled by Sony Pictures a little more than a week before its Christmas Day release after cyber attacks and threats by North Korea, took in $1.8 million in limited release. It made $1 million on Christmas Day for a total of $2.8 million overall.

“The Interview” was also released on various on-demand sites like YouTube, GooglePlay and others for both purchase and rental. Variety reports the film has made over $15 million through Saturday.

“American Sniper” and “Selma” also fared well in limited release. “Sniper” made $610,000 on just four screens. “Selma” was seen on 19 screens and made $912,000.

“Sniper” opens nationwide on Jan. 16 while “Selma” does the same on Jan. 9.

Title                                                               Weekend        Total box office

1. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies       $41.4 millon      $168.5 million
2. Unbroken                                                         $31.7 million      $47.3 million
3. Into the Woods                                               $31 million          $46.1 million
4. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb      $20.6 million      $55.3 million
5. Annie                                                               $16.6 million      $45.8 million
6. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1       $10 million         $306.7 million
7. The Gambler                                                  $9.3 million         $14.3 million
8. The Imitation Game                                       $7.9 million         $14.6 million
9. Exodus: Gods and Kings                              $6.8 million         $52.5 million
10. Wild                                                             $5.4 million         $16.4 million

‘Five Armies’ battles its way to top of box office

Written by O’Boyd

Bilbo and the gang still have it.

The final installment of “The Hobbit” series, “The Battle of the Five Armies” took in $56.2 million over the weekend, according to estimates released by Rentrak.com, which compiles such numbers each week. The film has taken in $90 million since it opened on Wednesday.

Despite getting less than favorable reviews than the previous two “Hobbit” films, fans still packed them in to see Bilbo, the dwarfs, elves and other characters duke it out in the final prequel before “The Lord of the Rings.”WIth a heavy field of movies coming out on Christmas, including “Into the Woods,” “American Sniper” and “Unbroken,” it’ll be interesting to see if “Five Armies” has the legs to hold off the competition and remain on top for another week

“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” finished second with $17.3 million. It’s the third film in the franchise and the final studio-produced film for Robin Williams, who died in August. “Annie” was third followed by “Exodus: Gods and Kings” and “Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.”

Title                                                               Weekend        Total box office

1. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies              $56.2 million     $90.6 million

2. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb       $17.3 million     $17.3 million

3. Annie                                                          $16.3 million     $16.3 million

4. Exodus: Gods and Kings                              $8.1 mililon       $38.9 million

5. Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1                $7.8 million       $289.2 million

6. Wild                                                           $4.2 million        $7.2 million

7. Top Five                                                      $3.57million       $12.5 million

8. Big Hero 6                                                  $3.56 million      $190.4 million

9. Penguins of Madagascar                             $3.52 million      $64.2 million

10. P.K.                                                         $3.46 million      $3.46 million

Coming to Theaters: Dec. 5, 2014

Another new feature we’ll bring you each Friday is a breakdown of the new films coming to theaters. Hopefully, you can use this guide to prepare yourself for a fun weekend of movies.

          

 Get Tickets

Fandango.com          AMC Theatres          MovieTickets.com

• The Pyramid: An archaeological team attempts to unlock the secrets of a lost pyramid only to find themselves hunted by an insidious creature.

• Wild: A chronicle of one woman’s 1,100-mile solo hike undertaken as a way to recover from a recent catastrophe.

• Zero Motivation: A unit of female Israeli soldiers at a remote desert base bide their time as they count down the minutes until they can return to civilian life.

• Pioneer: A thriller set at the beginning of the 1980’s Norwegian Oil Boom and centered on a diver whose obsession with reaching the bottom of the Norwegian Sea leads to tragedy.

• Comet: Set in a parallel universe, Comet bounces back and forth over the course of an unlikely but perfectly paired couple’s six-year relationship.

• Life Partners: Sasha and Paige’s co-dependent friendship is tested as Paige gets serious with a guy for the first time.

• She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry: A documentary that resurrects the buried history of the outrageous, often brilliant women who founded the modern women’s movement from 1966 to 1971.

Be sure to check out RottenTomatoes.com, which collects and posts reviews for all the films coming out this week.