BOX OFFICE REPORT (JAN. 11-13): 'Zero Dark Thirty' Captures No. 1 Spot in First Weekend of Wide Release

I'm so proud of you, America. After sending Lincoln to box office greatness earlier this Oscar season, you delivered a No. 1 debut for Zero Dark Thirty in the film's first weekend of wide release. It would have been easy to give A Haunted House the top spot, since America tends to make dumb choices at the movies a lot, but you picked the tough film. The controversial film. The film that was almost three hours long and not always the easiest film to stomach. Keep up the good work, America. If you keep Zero Dark Thirty at No. 1 over Arnold Schwarzenegger's The Last Stand next weekend, I'll be incredibly impressed.

1. Zero Dark Thirty (16)
$24.00 million ($29.48 million)
I really wish Zero Dark Thirty had remained at its original release date back in mid-December. While I'm pleased with the film's weekend at the box office, it would have been nice for Zero Dark Thirty to have a longer window of wide release before the Oscars. The fact that the average person wasn't able to see Zero Dark Thirty until January is really going to throw people off when you try to explain to them that Kathryn Bigelow's film was a 2012 offering.

Speaking of Bigelow, while the director is unbelievably not nominated for an Oscar for Best Director, Zero Dark Thirty has already outgrossed The Hurt Locker, the film that brought her a Best Director win in 2011. The Hurt Locker only grossed $17.02 million in its lifetime.

2. A Haunted House (N)

$18.82 million ($18.82 million)

I'm disappointed in you, America. You're better than this. We're better than this. The only excuse for seeing A Haunted House was that you thought you had found the theater's restroom and somehow got stuck in the theater for two hours. I'm sorry if that was the experience you had. It was probably very traumatic.

3. Gangster Squad (N)

$16.71 million ($16.71 million)
While Gangster Squad once looked like an Oscar contender and a box office threat, the film fizzled out on both fronts once audiences had a chance to see it. A great cast was wasted on a flat film that often felt like a Cliff Notes version of a real gangster movie.

4. Django Unchained (2)

$11.07 million ($129.40 million)
Django Unchained has now outgrossed Inglourious Basterds to become director Quentin Tarantino's biggest box office hit. Django Unchained only just wrapped up its third weekend too, so the film has the potential to put a lot more space between it and Inglourious Basterds' $120.54 million.

5. Les Miserables (4)

$10.13 million ($119.21 million)

Director Tom Hooper's latest film, on the other hand, has yet to become his highest grossing one. The King's Speech made $138.80 million in its lifetime, leaving Les Miserables with some work to do. Like Django Unchained, the movie is still in the early part of its box office run, so it should have time to pass The King's Speech.

Next week's predictions:

1. The Last Stand

2. Zero Dark Thirty

3. Broken City

4. Gangster Squad

5. Mama

SOURCE: Box Office Mojo