NEW YORK (AP) – Hollywood kicked off the New Year with more of the same, as “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” topped the weekend box office for the third straight weekend.
Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth finale took in $21.9 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, narrowly edging out the Disney musical “Into the Woods” and Angelina Jolie’s World War II tale “Unbroken.”
“Into the Woods” made an estimated $19.1 over the weekend. “Unbroken” hauled in $18.4 million.
The weekend’s lone new wide-release, “Woman in Black 2: The Angel of Death,” landed in fourth place with $15.1 million.
In its second week of limited release, Sony Pictures’ “The Interview” earned an estimated $1.1 million theatrically. Digital and video-on-demand figures hadn’t been announced as of early Sunday.