Well, Exodus: Gods and Kings didn’t exactly part the waters. But during a slow December weekend, Ridley Scott’s biblical epic still showed enough Old Testament oomph to reach the top of the box office mountain, chiseling out a less-than-commanding $24.5 million (estimated, of course).
How does Exodus stack up with other would-be biblical blockbusters? Well, it didn’t come close to Noah’s $43.7 million debut back in March, and it finished a touch behind February’s Son of God, too ($25.6 million). And naturally, it was waaay off the $83.8 million that The Passion of the Christ made way back in 2004. It did beat its big-budget predecessor, Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments. That Charlton Heston-fronted blockbuster earned about $10 million during its first 10 weeks of release. But keep in mind, The Ten Commandments was playing at just 80 theaters and tickets were 50 cents.
Still, it was enough on Exodus‘ part to keep The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 from its fourth straight box office victory. Katniss and company slid to No. 2 with $13.2 million in ticket sales.
Another holdover, Penguins of Madagascar, finished No. 3 with $7.3 million, throwing a few anchovies on the debut of Chris Rock’s movie Top Five. Still, Rock’s new comedy cleared $7.2 million and at least debuted inside the Top Five. Embarrassing if it hadn’t, given the title and all.
It would’ve been fitting, then, had Disney’s Big Hero 6 finished, y’know, sixth. But once again, it beat its own title’s expectations and landed in fifth place, collecting $6.1 million en route to its sixth straight Top Five finish.
Final figures update: 1. Exodus: Gods and Kings, $24.1 million; 2. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, $12.7 million; 3. Penguins of Madagascar, $7.2 million; 4. Top Five, $6.9 million; 5. Big Hero 6, $6.1 million.
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