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Civil rights film "Selma" finished in second place with $11.2
million from Friday through Sunday as the awards contender
expanded to more theaters.
Disney's film version of the dark Broadway musical "Into The
Woods" came in third with $9.8 million, according to estimates
from tracking firm Rentrak. The Golden Globe-nominated film
starring Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep has now totaled more than
$105 million since opening on Christmas day.
"Taken 3" stars Neeson as former CIA agent Bryan Mills, a role
that has helped establish the 62-year-old as an action star. In
the third installment, Mills is on the run after he is accused
of a murder he didn't commit.
The movie, which cost $48 million, opened far stronger than the
$28 million forecast by Box Office Mojo and also expected by
20th Century Fox, the unit of 21st Century Fox which released
it.
Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution at Fox, said
the brawny result spoke to the popularity of the Mills
character, who he said had proven to be "compelling to both men
and women."
Releasing it after the onslaught of prestige year-end films also
helped, said Aronson, who noted, "This is the first popcorn,
escapist film of the year, and audiences were absolutely primed
for that."
"Selma" stars David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr. in the
story of the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, for
black voters' rights. The $20 million movie opened in a limited
release in December and expanded this weekend to nearly 2,200
theaters.
The movie distributed by Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures has won
widespread critical acclaim and is a nominee at Sunday night's
Golden Globe awards for best film drama. Oprah Winfrey was a
producer and plays a supporting role.
In fourth place, "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
earned $9.4 million after leading the box office for three
consecutive weekends. The final installment in the film series,
released by Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros., has taken in $236.5
million since opening on Dec. 17.
Fifth place went to "Unbroken," the story of Olympic runner and
POW survivor Louis Zamperini, which collected $8.4 million.
"Unbroken" was released by Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast
Corp.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Chris Michaud; Editing by
Dominic Evans and Paul Simao)
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