A chainsaw finally pried the Hobbits out of first place at the North American box office. “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey†was expected by some analysts to repeat for a fourth week as the most popular movie in the land, but “Texas Chainsaw 3D†(Lionsgate) beat projections and took in an estimated $23 million for No. 1. (“Massacre†was dropped from the title after the Colorado movie theater shootings last summer.)
Quentin Tarantino's “Django Unchained,†distributed in North America by the Weinstein Company, ended up second, selling about $20.1 million in tickets, for a two-week total of $106.4 million, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box-office data. “The Hobbit†(Warner Brothers) fell to third place, taking in about $17.5 million, for a four-week total of $263.8 million. “Les Misérab les†(Universal Pictures) was fourth, selling about $16.1 million in tickets, for a two-week total of $103.6 million. Rounding out the top five was “Parental Guidance†(20th Century Fox), which took in an estimated $10.1 million, for a two-week total of $52.8 million.
