Mockingjay wins the weekend box office

“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” is the final installment of Lionsgate’s popular film franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen.

The picture, based on Suzanne Collins’ novels and produced at an estimated budget of $175 million to $200 million, has grossed more than $198 million domestically and more than $440 million worldwide.

In a first, Pixar released two films in the same year as The Good Dinosaur followed June’s Inside Out which bowed to a much more muscular $90.4M over a standard three-day weekend.

In a report from the USA Today, the “Mockingjay – Part 2” $102.7 million opening was initially thought to be disappointing since it was the lowest opening among the four “Hunger Games” movies. Compared with what most of us usually expect from a Pixar film, however, “The Good Dinosaur” was a disappointment, both critically and financially.

The Rocky revival was in full effect as Creed opened strong to finish in third place with $30 million. Overall, it was a holiday Hollywood could give thanks for as business was up a healthy 10% over a year ago at this time. The film revives Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky in an inspiring story about his rival Apollo Creed’s illegitimate son, played by Michael B. Jordan.

Next week is a bit quieter at the box office, with the only high-profile new release being Universal’s $15 million horror comedy Krampus. The James Bond movie added another $12.8 million in its fourth weekend while the Charlie Brown movie garnered around $9.7 million in its fourth weekend.

OK, it wasn’t all rosy for new releases, Fox’s “Victor Frankenstein” completely crashed and burned.

If its $51.6 million estimate holds, it will be the first in the franchise not to fall by 50% or greater in its second weekend.

Brooklyn expanded nationwide over Thanksgiving and earned $4.9 million from 845 theaters.

Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Rentrak, said the indie sensibilities, critical response and stellar cast has made “Creed” the movie to see right now. The Tom McCarthy-directed drama about the Boston Globe’s 2003 Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation of sexual abuse by priests is in the top 10 for a second week in a row, this week at No. 8. The drama, which stars Eddie Redmayne as transgender pioneer Lili Elbe, earned a per-theater average of $46,250.

In fact, the top 20 titles of the year had a 112% spike in ticket sales on Black Friday over Thanksgiving day’s box office, according to Deadline (also helpful was an unseasonably warm holiday weekend on the east coast).