The box office results for the weekend of November 30th – December 2nd has Bond, Bella, and Lincoln still kicking butt, while everyone else is trying to scarf up what they can before all the major Christmas releases invade cinemas. Here are the studio estimates:

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 ($17.4 million)

2. Skyfall ($17 million)

3. Lincoln ($13.5 million)

4. Rise of the Guardians ($13.5 million)

5. Life of Pi ($12 million)

6. Killing Them Softly ($7 million)

7. Wreck-It Ralph ($7 million)

8. Red Dawn 2012 ($6.5 million)

9. Flight ($4.5 million)

10. The Collection ($3.4 million)

Analysis

Quickly tackling the new guys: Killing Them Softly opened, uh, soft. Good news for the people invested in that, if any, is that the flick cost just $15 million to produce. So if its able to hang around for a couple weeks, the black ink could be seen later on during its DVD/On-Demand run. Speaking of DVD/On-Demand runs, that’s the only way the other new arrival, The Collection, will find any profits; for this $10 million creation will be out of most theaters by Christmas time after a deadly $3.4 million opening.

As for our respective leaders, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 is now up to $254.5 million domestically. Skyfall has reached $246 million and in doing so, has become the highest grossing spy flick of all-time in the U.S. (The Bourne Ultimatum previously held the record at $227.4 million).

Wreck-It Ralph and Flight currently hold the longest streaks in the top ten with 5 weeks apiece. Disney’s 3D animation is up to $158.2 million while Denzel Washington’s drunken drama has risen to $81.5 domestically.

Silver Linings Playbook, still playing in less than 400 theaters, is holding its own and is positioned for a nice long Oscar push, as The Weinstein Company will be increasing its theater count in the upcoming weeks. Its domestic total is right at $11 million; production budget was $21 million.

After 8 weeks in theaters, Argo has crossed the $100 million plateau ($101 million stateside).

This Friday’s arrivals are led by Playing for Keeps; opening wide. And a couple of award hopeful indies, Lay the Favorite and Hyde Park Hudson, get the very limited release treatment. Reviews will be right here my fellow Shockers!

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

By Joe Belcastro

Joe Belcastro is an established movie critic in Tampa, Florida. As a member of the Florida Film Critics Circle, most of his time is spent reviewing upcoming movies. He also covers news pertaining to the film industry, on both a local and national level as well as conducting interviews. To contact Joe Belcastro regarding a story or with general questions about his services, please e-mail him and/or follow him on Twiiter @TheWritingDemon.

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