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Jack Reacher is fifth, but the ranking, as predicted in last weekend’s column, won’t hurt it too badly, as this isn’t the traditional Cruise film with an overblown budget. First, Jack Reacher earned $14.0 million in its second weekend, down a slim 10% compared to last weekend, and a good example of why to release a film at Christmas. If we look at all days since opening and removing Christmas Eve, the low point for Jack Reacher was $3.6 million and the high point was last Saturday at $5.8 million. That’s only a $2.2 million difference, something we only see over the holidays. Jack Reacher cost Paramount only $60 million to make (unlike Ghost Protocol which cost $145 million), and has already earned $44.7 million.

This Is 40 is the best example of Christmas box office, as it earns more this weekend than it did last weekend, likely thanks to the saturation marketing it has received. This Is 40 earned $13.2 million in its second weekend after earning $11.6 million in its first. That gives it an increase of 14%, and when you have back-to-back weekends over $10 million, and a budget of only $35 million, you know you are in good shape. So far, This Is 40 has earned $37.1 million, and will likely take in double its production budget.

Seventh this weekend is Lincoln, and despite being in its eighth weekend of release, Lincoln also rises strongly versus last weekend. Last weekend, Lincoln earned $5.5 million. This weekend, Lincoln took in $7.5 million, or an increase of 36%. Lincoln had already earned $100 million prior to the Christmas season, and is going to tack on an extra $40-50 million thanks to the holidays. With the box office holiday season like it is, it is going to be one of the more interesting Oscar races we have seen, and Lincoln will be considered, as it has earned $132 million so far.

Finishing in eighth is The Guilt Trip, and is what could be the lone loser over the holidays (notice we no longer see the commercials). The Guilt Trip earned $6.7 million this weekend, and was still up slightly from where it was last weekend, when it earned $5.4 million. Still, this one cost $40 million to make, and has a gross so far of $21.1 million.

Ninth goes to Monsters, Inc., as Scrooge McDisney cashes in on another holiday. Likely converted to 3D for less than $10 million, Monsters, Inc. earned $6.4 million this weekend, and is another film to increase its take over last weekend, as the Pixar re-release rose by 33%. It has earned $18.5 million since being re-released.

Tenth is Rise of the Guardians, which is leaving the top ten at the right time, but with less revenue than expected. Rise earned $4.9 million this weekend, down 17% from fourth last weekend. It cost $145 million to make, and has a domestic gross to date of $90.2 million.

Overall, the box office is chugging along nicely. The top 12 films this weekend earned a solid $167.8 million. The best comparison is the 2007 and 2001 post-Christmas weekends, as the calendar configuration was the same. In 2007, the top 12 earned $168.6 million; in 2001, the top 12 earned $147.2 million. Next weekend we get back to normal, as Texas Chainsaw 3D opens and The Impossible and Promised Land expand.

Top Ten for Weekend of
Rank	Film	Distributor	Estimated Gross ($)	Weekly Change	Running Total ($)
1	The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey	Warner Bros.	32,920,000	-11%	222,703,000
2	Django Unchained	The Weinstein Company	30,688,000	New	64,008,000
3	Les Miserables	Universal	28,027,440	New	67,465,865
4	Parental Guidance	Fox	14,800,000	New	29,589,000
5	Jack Reacher	Paramount	14,010,000	-10%	44,661,000
6	This Is 40	Universal	13,185,850	+14%	37,116,140
7	Lincoln	Disney	7,509,000	+36%	132,039,000
8	The Guilt Trip	Paramount	6,700,000	+24%	21,102,000
9	Monsters, Inc.	Disney	6,363,000	+33%	18,490,000
10	Rise of the Guardians	Paramount	4,900,000	-17%	90,230,000

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