LOS ANGELES (AP) – “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is even closer to usurping “Avatar’s” reign as the top domestic box office earner of all time.
Disney’s record-busting film brought in $90.2 million over the New Year’s weekend, bringing its domestic total to $742.2 million. “Avatar” earned $760.5 million over its theatrical lifetime – a record “Star Wars” is expected to pass this week.
But “Star Wars” wasn’t the only film that enjoyed a strong weekend. The Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg comedy “Daddy’s Home” took second place with $29.2 million in its second weekend in release, while Quentin Tarantino’s bloody epic “The Hateful Eight” came in third in its first weekend in wide release with $15.7 million.
Rounding out the top five were the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler comedy “Sisters” and the animated “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip” with $12.8 million and $12.1 million, respectively.
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Rentrak: