“Hunger Games,” “Krampus” top box office charts

PanARMENIAN.Net - Wake Hollywood up when “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” arrives. With two weeks to go before Luke, Leia, Han and a phalanx of stormtroopers and droids descend on multiplexes, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” topped box office charts in an otherwise quiet weekend. The science-fiction sequel earned $18.6 million, pushing its stateside haul to $227.1 million, Variety reports.

The weekend after Thanksgiving is historically one of the slowest of the year and the 2015 edition didn’t break with tradition. Studios largely steered clear. There was only one new major release in “Krampus,” a darkly comic horror film from Legendary and Universal that picked up a solid $16 million. The story of a horned demon who injects a sinister edge into a suburban family’s Christmas celebrations stars Adam Scott and Toni Collette. It was directed by Michael Dougherty (“Trick ‘r Treat”) and had been projected to pull in between $10 million and $13 million.

Without much in the way of new blood, a trio of holdovers rounded out the top five. “Creed” rode Oscar buzz and strong word-of-mouth to a third place finish, racking up $15.5 million to drive the “Rocky” spinoff’s domestic total to $65.1 million. “The Good Dinosaur” tied for third with $15.5 million, dropping off more than expected and falling roughly 60%. Usually Pixar and Disney films have better holds, but this is a sign that audiences aren’t responding to the picture with the enthusiasm they showed for other efforts such as “Toy Story” and “Inside Out.” The animated film has earned $75.9 million so far.

“Spectre” took fifth position with $5.4 million. The latest James Bond adventure has generated $184.5 million since opening at the beginning of November.