BOX OFFICE REPORT (DEC. 7-9): 'Skyfall' Returns to No. 1; No One Saw Gerard Butler's Soccer Movie

This was the calm before the storm, the final weekend of the awkward box office gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The absence of any big releases (and the total flop of Gerard Butler's Playing for Keeps) allowed Skyfall to jump back into first place, returning to the position it had ceded to The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2 several weeks ago. The arrival of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey next weekend will kick off the Christmas release season, with Jack Reacher, Monsters Inc. 3D, This Is 40, Django Unchained and Les Miserables all hitting theaters over the following few weeks.

1. Skyfall (2)
$11.00 million ($261.62 million)
We've been talking about Skyfall's record-setting performance for weeks now, but so far the conversation has been centered on the film's historical place in the James Bond franchise. With the past weekend now on the books, though, Skyfall isn't just the highest-grossing Bond film ever — it's Sony's highest-grossing film ever, passing Spider-Man 3.

2. Rise of the Guardians (3)

$10.54 million ($61.94 million)

Remember last week when I said DreamWorks should've positioned Rise of the Guardians closer to Christmas to take advantage of the fact Santa Claus is a character in the movie? Well, look at this — December hits, and the movie jumps up into the No. 2 spot.

3. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2 (1)

$9.20 million ($268.74 million)
Breaking Dawn 2 sank a lot faster than I thought it would, falling approximately 47 percent from its third to its fourth weekend in release. Looks like the tweens have moved on.

4. Lincoln (4)

$9.12 million ($97.34 million)
By this time next weekend, Lincoln will have crossed the $100 million mark. If you haven't seen this one yet, do yourself a favor and go see it.

5. Life of Pi (5)

$8.3 million ($60.92 million)

Same thing with Life of Pi. The crop of Oscar-worthy pictures is on a higher level in 2012 than it was in 2011. These are movies you can proudly give the cost of a movie ticket to.

Next week's predictions:

1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

2. Skyfall

3. Rise of the Guardians

4. Lincoln

5. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2

SOURCE: Box Office Mojo