Not far behind in second place was Quentin Tarantino's brutal Western "Django Unchained," which earned $20 million it its second week. The film, which has already earned five Golden Globe nominations, is considered a top Oscars contender.
That left "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," the long-awaited first part of Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" prequel trilogy, in third place. It racked up $17.5 million in its fourth week in theaters, for an international grand total of $263.8 million so far.
Another Oscar-tipped movie, "Les Miserables," took fourth spot, raking in in $16.1 million at the box office in its second week in theaters.
The all-important Academy Award nominations are due to be announced Thursday, January 10.
In fifth place, "Parental Guidance," a comedy starring Billy Crystal and Bette Midler looking after their grandchildren, earned $10.1 million.
Tom Cruise action blockbuster "Jack Reacher," in which the Hollywood A-lister's character investigates fictional shootings by a trained military sniper, came in sixth with weekend earnings of $9.3 million.
And Judd Apataw's comedy "This is 40," billed as "a sort-of sequel" to the 2007 film romcom "Knocked Up," stayed just behind with $8.6 million.
In eighth place was Steven Spielberg's political drama "Lincoln" -- another Oscar hopeful which topped the Golden Globe nominations with seven nods -- earning $5.3 million on its ninth weekend.
"The Guilt Trip," about a mother-son road trip starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogan, earned $4.5 million, good enough for ninth place.
Joining the top 10 for the first time, with $4.3 million in box office receipts, was "Promised Land," a drama starring Matt Damon and exploring the booming but controversial drilling process known as fracking.
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That left "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," the long-awaited first part of Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" prequel trilogy, in third place. It racked up $17.5 million in its fourth week in theaters, for an international grand total of $263.8 million so far.
Another Oscar-tipped movie, "Les Miserables," took fourth spot, raking in in $16.1 million at the box office in its second week in theaters.
The all-important Academy Award nominations are due to be announced Thursday, January 10.
In fifth place, "Parental Guidance," a comedy starring Billy Crystal and Bette Midler looking after their grandchildren, earned $10.1 million.
Tom Cruise action blockbuster "Jack Reacher," in which the Hollywood A-lister's character investigates fictional shootings by a trained military sniper, came in sixth with weekend earnings of $9.3 million.
And Judd Apataw's comedy "This is 40," billed as "a sort-of sequel" to the 2007 film romcom "Knocked Up," stayed just behind with $8.6 million.
In eighth place was Steven Spielberg's political drama "Lincoln" -- another Oscar hopeful which topped the Golden Globe nominations with seven nods -- earning $5.3 million on its ninth weekend.
"The Guilt Trip," about a mother-son road trip starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogan, earned $4.5 million, good enough for ninth place.
Joining the top 10 for the first time, with $4.3 million in box office receipts, was "Promised Land," a drama starring Matt Damon and exploring the booming but controversial drilling process known as fracking.
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