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Showbiz

‘Hobbit’ has one precious opening weekend in theaters

As the second of the Peter Jackson-helped trilogy, 'The Hobbit": The Desolation of Smaug" topped box office figures, raking in almost $74 million.

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Martin Freeman stars as Bilbo Baggins in Warner Bros. Pictures' The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Martin Freeman stars as Bilbo Baggins in 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,' which topped box offices its first weekend.

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“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” towered over the cinematic competition in its opening weekend.

The new adventures of the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), his team of dwarves and their hobbit buddy Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) hauled in $73.7 million, according to studio estimates.

RELATED: 'THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG' MOVIE REVIEW

Elsa the Snow Queen no longer reigns, as animated film 'Frozen' slipped to number 2 at box offices.

Daram/AP

Elsa the Snow Queen no longer reigns, as animated film 'Frozen' slipped to number 2 at box offices.

Melting down to the No. 2 position, Disney’s animated tale “Frozen” earned $22.2 million in its third weekend, bringing its overall domestic ticket total to $164.4 million.

The critically panned “Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas” came in third place with $16.2 million, while “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” earned $13.2 million for fourth place.

RELATED: HARVEY WEINSTEIN SUES FOR $75 MILLION OVER ‘THE HOBBIT’ SERIES

'Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas' took third place in the weekend box office count.

KC Bailey

'Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas' took third place in the weekend box office count.

The thriller starring girl-on-fire Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) has earned $739.9 million, exceeding the worldwide box office total for “The Hunger Games,” which gained $691 million.

“Thor: The Dark World,” the Norse saga starring Chris Hemsworth as the storm-wielding god, came in fifth with $2.7 million, bringing its domestic total to $198.1 million.

RELATED: 'SMAUG' TARGETS WOMEN WITH ELVEN ARCHER TAURIEL

With News Wire Services

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