BOX OFFICE REPORT (DEC. 6-8): 'Frozen' Ices Competition, Takes Top Spot From 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'

When Frozen stormed into theaters last weekend, the film set a record for a new release opening over Thanksgiving Weekend and affirmed that we're living in a Second Disney Renaissance. For its second weekend in theaters, Frozen added a new trick to its repertoire — knocking off The Hunger Games: Catching Fire to claim the No. 1 spot at the box office.

The box office was down from its record-setting Thanksgiving holiday, but Frozen and Catching Fire still massively outpaced the rest of the top five, leaving Out of the Furnace, the weekend's only new release, in their dust. The bleak Out of the Furnace failed to connect with moviegoers, and the film just barely grossed $5 million. With The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug roaring into theaters next weekend, it's safe to declare Out of the Furnace dead on arrival. There'll be no second for it.

1. Frozen (2nd)
Weekend gross: $31.6 million / Total domestic gross: $134.3 million / 
Percent drop: 53.0
Frozen is now the third-highest-grossing movie for Walt Disney Animation Studios since the Second Renaissance began with Bolt in 2008. Disney's latest offering still trails Tangled's $200.8 million and Wreck-It Ralph's $189.4 million. Does Frozen have the legs to make it to the $200 million mark? The movie does have the advantage of being the most family-friendly picture open right now, and with Christmas vacation and the eventual Oscar buzz (and wins?), Frozen has everything in its favor right now.

2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (1st)

Weekend gross: $27.0 million / Total domestic gross: $336.67 million / 
Percent drop: 63.6
Is Catching Fire running on fumes? While no studio would turn its nose at a $27 million third weekend and a domestic gross of $336.67, the sequel failed to match its predecessor's third-weekend gross, trailing the first Hunger Games' $33.1 million. Overall, Catching Fire is still ahead of what that movie had grossed through three weekends, but if it can't keep up on a weekend-by-weekend basis, Catching Fire could ultimately wind up falling short of The Hunger Games.

3. Out of the Furnace (NR)

Weekend gross: $5.3 million / Total domestic gross: $5.3 million / 
Percent drop: NA
Christian Bale's last movie opened with $160.9 million. Out of the Furnace opened just $155.6 million short of The Dark Knight Rises' first weekend. Honestly though, I don't see this as an issue for Bale or anyone else involved with Out of the Furnace. The movie was incredibly bleak, and with movies like Frozen and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire sucking up moviegoers' money, Out of the Furnace was in a tough place.

4. Thor: The Dark World (3rd)

Weekend gross: $4.7 million / Total domestic gross: $193.6 million / 
Percent drop: 57.2
Thor: The Dark World is less than $7 million away from crossing the $200 million mark. If the latest Marvel offering can accomplish that feat (which should be doable), Thor: The Dark World will become the fifth Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to do so, joining The Avengers and the three Iron Man movies.

5. Delivery Man (6th)

Weekend gross: $3.8 million / Total domestic gross: $24.8 million / 
Percent drop: 44.8

Good news: Delivery Man actually improved from No. 6 last weekend to No. 5 this weekend. Bad news: It was only because Delivery Man didn't suck as much as its competition. A $24.8 million lifetime gross still sucks.

Next week's predictions

1. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

2. Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas

3. Frozen

4. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

5. Thor: The Dark World

SOURCE: Box Office Mojo