‘Lone Survivor’ Claims The Top Spot At The Box Office, ‘The Legend Of Hercules’ Falls Flat

“Lone Survivor” had audiences coming out in droves this weekend, earning $38.6 million and securing its place at the top of the box office. “Frozen” dropped to second place and continues its impressive run in theaters while “The Legend of Hercules” failed to find an audience.

“Lone Survivor,” based on a nonfiction book by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson, follows a group of Navy Seals in Afghanistan. Luttrell is played by Mark Wahlberg and the movie also stars Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster and Eric Bana. The film played well with audiences, earning an A+ CinemaScore, notes The Hollywood Reporter.

In addition to being a major commercial success, “Lone Survivor” director Peter Berg and its distributor, Universal Pictures, have established the Lone Survivor Fund to assist veteran groups Got Your Six, Navy SEAL Foundation and Lone Survivor Foundation, notes THR. Fandango also offered viewers a chance to donate following ticket purchases.

According to Glenn Beck’s The Blaze, “Lone Survivor” played so well at the Grand Theater in Conroe, Texas, that it led to the cancellation of other screenings in order to meet customer demand. THR notes “Lone Survivor” performed best in Texas and is the second biggest January debut after “Cloverfield,” which earned $40.1 million in 2008.

Today in Conroe, Tx!! pic.twitter.com/dljcQU7eEt
— Team Never Quit (@Team_neverquit) January 11, 2014

“Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones,” was the hardest hit as five screenings were cancelled, while “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” had four screenings cancelled and “Grudge Match” had three. “Her,” "Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas,” “47 Ronin,” “American Hustle” and “The Wolf of Wall Street” each had a screening cancelled to make room for “Lone Survivor.”

“Frozen” dropped to second place, earning $15.1 million in its eighth week in theaters. The movie has crossed the $700 million worldwide gross mark, earning $317.7 million domestically and $394.6 million overseas for a total of $712.3 million, reports Box Office Mojo. Its domestic gross is the fourth highest total for 2013, trailing “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “Iron Man 3” and “Despicable Me 2,” and besting “Man of Steel,” “Monsters University” and “Star Trek Into Darkness.”

“The Wolf of Wall Street” finished in third place, earning $9 million and bringing its domestic total to $78.6 million.

“The Legend of Hercules,” directed by Renny Harlin (“Die Hard 2”) and starring Kellan Lutz (“Twilight”) tied with “American Hustle” for fourth place. Both films earned $8.6 million at the box office.

“Hercules” had an estimated production budget of $70 million, notes THR, and was not well-received by audiences or critics, hurting its chances of breaking even. The filmed earned just 2 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a B- CinemaScore.

Two critical darlings began their rollout to theaters as “August: Osage County” and “Her” expanded nationwide. “August” earned $7.3 million in 905 theaters and was anchored by the star power of Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep, while “Her” earned $5.4 million in 1,729 theaters and could play well due to awards buzz.

The box office top ten, courtesy of Box Office Mojo, is below.