Final Hobbit Goes Out With $56.2M Win

Peter Jackson's "Hobbit" finale went out on top at the box office, debuting with $56.2 million over the weekend and taking in $90.6 million since opening Wednesday, according to studio estimates today. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies cut its usual swath through the multiplexes, dominating the pre-Christmas frame. Though the weakest opening of Jackson's six JRR Tolkien adventures, the film was still one of the season's biggest releases. Opening in a distant second place was Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, another final installment. The Fox comedy took in $17.3 million, well off the pace of previous franchise entries.

Sony, which is reeling from its cancellation of The Interview amid hacking attacks, unveiled its other holiday option. The studio's Annie remake opened with $16.3 million. "“There have been six visits to Middle Earth and this is the final one and it became so important for people to come out to see this in a big way," a Warner Bros. exec tells Variety. "The action was there and Peter made a fabulous movie.” (More The Hobbit stories.)