Next big thing in Hollywood? Furry feet.
There are probably some entertainment executives who believe that those tousled toes must be the secret to the success of Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. I mean, it couldn’t be the story or CGI, could it? No, people just love a little fuzz on the feet. Perhaps Disney is hoping to introduce a new Avengers character with hairy ankles. Perhaps Tom Cruise is wearing the bigfoot slippers he got for Christmas, imagining the possibilities. At this very moment, Paramount Pictures could be talking with Hasbro about crafting a new, follicly gifted G.I. Joe action figure, codenamed Harry Heel or something.
The entertainment industry is always interested in capitalizing on a lucrative trend. And let’s face it: These Tolkien movies are as lucrative as they come.
Sure, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey may have underperformed a bit by some measures. But three straight box office wins? Lots of studios would love to get their mitts on that sort of underperformance. Jackson’s first Hobbit movie earned an estimated $32.9 million during the weekend between Christmas and New Year’s, thwarting a trio of newcomers and pushing its cumulative domestic total past the $222.7 mil mark. The new contenders offered moviegoers lots of alternatives—from loads of blood to loads of singing to … well, if not loads, a few family-oriented laughs. But it wasn’t enough to clip Bilbo Baggins’ luxurious and lucrative feet—er, film.
Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino’s bloody, pre-Civil War fever dream, took second. It earned $30.7 million to stave off the warblers of Les Misérables. But the venerable, star-studded musical is still dreaming a dream of box office glory (and Oscar gold). Its $28 million was enough for third place. And, thanks to its hefty Christmas Day take, Les Mis is still pacing above Django for the year ($67.5 million to $64 million).
Parental Guidance, another new release, finished a distant fourth with $14.8 million, while Cruise’s non-furry-footed turn as Jack Reacher loped into fifth place with $14 mil.
Final figures update: 1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, $31.9 million; 2. Django Unchained, $30.1 million; 3. Les Misérables, $27.3 million; 4. Parental Guidance, $14.6 million; 5. Jack Reacher, $13.6 million.
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