The post-Thanksgiving frame has always been a slow one, and this year was no exception. Two new releases entered theaters — including the Brad Pitt vehicle Killing Them Softly — and both were met with unenthusiastic responses. Among holdovers, the Top 10 movies fell by an average of 51 percent. Basically, not too much happened at the box office this week. In fact, the top six movies finished in the exact same spots as last week.

Atop the chart was The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn – Part 2, which dropped 60 percent to $17.4 million, lifting its total to $254.6 million after three weekends. The $120 million Summit sequel is holding substantially better than its predecessor, Breaking Dawn – Part 1, which had earned $246.9 million at the same point in its run before finishing with $281.3 million domestically. Internationally, the franchise finale is getting a gigantic boost. The film earned an additional $48.4 million this weekend, bringing its overseas gross to $447.8 million and its worldwide total to $702.4 million. It’s headed to a franchise-high finish around $800 million. READ FULL STORY »

Image Credit: Andrew Cooper

Call it a turkey hangover. Friday grosses are (mostly) in, and, as expected, the box office is way down from the lucrative Thanksgiving frame.

The top of the chart looks just the same as it did last week. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 stayed in first place with $5.6 million, putting it on pace for a third weekend of $17 million, which would bring its total to $254 million. Skyfall and Lincoln were close behind, grossing $4.9 million and $4.0 million, respectively. Skyfall may walk away with about $16 million over the Friday-to-Sunday period, while Lincoln should earn about $14 million.

Life of Pi and Rise of the Guardians swapped the rankings they earned in their debuts last weekend — but they’ll likely switch again by the frame’s end. Life of Pi scored $3.3 million on Friday, and it may sail to $12 million by Sunday. Rise of the Guardians earned a bit less with $3.0 million, but thanks to strong family showings, the DreamWorks animation should reach about $13 million, which will bring its total to a discouraging $48 million.

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 – $5.6 million
2. Skyfall – $4.9 million
3. Lincoln – $4.0 million
4. Life of Pi – $3.3 million
5. Rise of the Guardians – $3.0 million

The Weinstein Co.’s Brad Pitt vehicle Killing Them Softly disappointed with just $2.5 million on its first day. The Andrew Dominik-directed crime drama will have to settle for about $7 million. Even more distressing is how poorly Killing is playing with moviegoers. The feature, which critics overwhelmingly like, earned an “F” CinemaScore — the same grade that audiences gave reviled found-footage entry The Devil Inside earlier this year.

Check back tomorrow for the full box office report, and follow me on Twitter for more box office musing.