‘Hobbit,’ ‘Frozen’ keep leading U.S. box office

LOS ANGELES - Over the bustling post-Christmas weekend, Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’’ continued to lead the box office, landing No. 1 slot the third weekend in a row.

The Warner Bros. prequel earned $30 million, bringing the domestic gross to $190.3 million, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

Disney’s animated adventure, “Frozen,’’ took the No. 2 position, earning $28.9 million over the weekend and $248.4 million domestically after six weeks at the multiplex.

“‘Frozen’ probably had the best release date of the year because they positioned themselves to completely dominate the family film marketplace over the holidays,’’ said box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian of Rentrak. “To be No. 2 in its sixth week is a total reflection of that.’’

Reigning box-office champion “Hobbit,’’ “really contributed to this record box office that we have at the end of the year,’’ he added. “With ‘Hobbit’ and ‘Frozen,’ we are talking $450 million at the box office between those two films alone. They are absolutely killing it here at the end of the year.’’

This year is poised to be a banner one at the box office, and it is projected to surpass 2012’s $10.8 billion by nearly 1 percent, making this the highest annual take ever.

“Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues,’’ starring Will Ferrell, came in at No. 3 with $20.2 million. Martin Scorsese’s dark comedy “The Wolf of Wall Street,’’ featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, took the No. 5 spot, earning $19 million after opening at No. 2 on Dec. 25.

AP