The release of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues has sent Ron Burgundy and his News Team straight to the top of the Australian box office over the past week. The comedy sequel made an impressive debut, especially considering that the original Anchorman only made $1,669,440 in its entire Australian run back in 2004.
David O. Russell’s American Hustle and animated sequel Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 both held on impressively to round out the top 3. Worth noting is the fact that advanced screenings of Disney’s Frozen were able give the film a debut at #5 on the chart, impressive given the reduced screen count. Also impressive is the #6 placing of Indian action film Dhoom 3.
The box office results for Boxing Day will be released soon, and a showdown between The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug andFrozen can be expected, with The Hobbit likely to prevail.
- Anchorman 2 (Paramount) $5,223,598
- American Hustle (Roadshow) $1,498,248
- Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (Sony Pictures) $1,419,974
- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Roadshow) $1,389,441
- Frozen (Walt Disney) $1,046,467
- Dhoom 3 (Mindblowing Films) $695,782
- Delivery Man (Walt Disney/Dreamworks) $338,807
- Ender’s Game (Icon) $285,999
- Philomena (EOne/Hopscotch) $186,793
- Thor: The Dark World (Walt Disney) $114,400
In the US over the past weekend, Anchorman 2 was unable to unseat The Hobbit, instead debuting at #2 with $26.7 million, a slightly disappointing amount given the increased publicity and fan demand for the film. In comparison, the originalAnchorman had a US opening weekend of $28.4 million in 2004. The film is likely to have strong legs throughout the holiday season as the strongest comedy film on offer.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and Frozen are screening nationally.
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