LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) – The dwarves and hobbits of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug proved too much for the much-publicized sequel Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, as the hit fantasy film topped movie charts in the United States and Canada for a second straight week, earning $31.5 million over the weekend.
Kicking off Hollywood’s year-end push of high-profile movie releases, the Anchorman crew led by Will Ferrell was unable to dethrone last week’s winner and took in $26.8 million for the No 2 spot, according to sales estimates from Rentrak.
Oscar-contending crime drama American Hustle grabbed the No 4 slot, racking up $19.1 million, just behind Disney’s animated hit, Frozen which took in $19.2 million.
Anchorman opened on Wednesday following a months-long marketing onslaught and rang up a five-day total of $40 million through Sunday. Ferrell appeared in character seemingly everywhere as the self-important Ron Burgundy, pitching the Dodge Durango in TV ads, interviewing Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning for ESPN The Magazine and co-anchoring a local newscast in Nebraska.
The campaign reintroduced Burgundy a decade after the original Anchorman in 2004. The first film took in a solid $90 million at worldwide box offices and gained popularity on DVD to become a cult classic.
In the sequel, the former San Diego anchor joins a cable news channel startup in 1980s New York. Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and David Koechner return as members of his wacky news team.
Box office forecasters predicted Anchorman 2 would bring in $35 million to $40 million from Friday through Sunday. The movie cost $50 million to make.
“Forty million over five days is a sensational start,” said Don Harris, president of domestic theatrical distribution for Paramount Pictures, the Viacom Inc unit that released the film, adding that was in line with studio expectations.
