By Todd Cunningham
TheWrap
On a weekend in which much of the nation was shivering through bitter winter weather, it seems somehow right that “Frozen” was the No. 1 movie at the box office.
The animated musical blasted past snowstorms and the new horror film “Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones” to take in $20.7 million and knock “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” out of the top spot it had held for the past three weekends.
Disney’s 3D family film is still going strong in its sixth week of wide release and has rung up nearly $300 million domestically since just before Thanksgiving, and more than $600 million worldwide.  It’s the second-highest grossing Disney Animation release of all-time, behind only “The Lion King.”
paramount’s R-rated “The Marked Ones,” a Hispanic-targeting spin-off from the low-budget, high-return “Paranormal Activity” franchise, finished second with $18.2 million. That’s in line with projections for the Blumhouse/Solana Films/Room 101, Inc. film, which was produced by horror guru Jason Blum and franchise creator Oren Peli for $5 million.
Photos: The ‘Paranormal Activity’ franchise
Blockbuster “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” which has been No. 1 every weekend since it opened on Dec. 13, finished third with $16.2 million. The Warner Bros.-MGM production is up to nearly $230 million domestically, and is on its way to $700 million globally.
While most theaters remained open, there’s no doubt the bitter cold in the Midwest and snowstorms on the East Coast depressed the grosses, though the overall box office was roughly on par with last year, when another horror film, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” won the weekend with $21.7 million.
Director Martin Scorsese’s R-rated black comedy starring Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” was fourth with $13.5 million. That’s only a 28 percent drop from its first weekend for “Wolf,” and encouraging news for distributor paramount. The film’s explicit portrayal of the sex-and-drugs-fueled 1980s stock market boom has divided moviegoers, and the “C” CiinemaScore that it received after its opening made its long-term playability a question mark.
Photos: ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’
“The Marked Ones,” which was in first place after Friday, applies the series’ trademark shaky camera technique to a story of Mexican mysticism featuring a predominantly Latino cast.
It was in was in 2,867 theaters, fewer than “Frozen” (3,318) and “The Hobbit” (3,730), and drew a “C-” CinemaScore from first night audiences, which were 68 percent under 25 and evenly split between men and women. That’s not unusual, since horror fans are typically tough graders, but it makes a lengthy run unlikely.
The top ten:
“Frozen,” $20.7M;
“Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones,” $18.2M;
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” $16.2M;
“The Wolf of Wall Street,” $13.4M;
“American Hustle,” $13.2M;
“Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues,” $11.1M;
“Saving Mr. Banks,” $9M;
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” $8.2M;
“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” $7.4M;
“Grudge Match,” $5.4M
The post ‘Frozen’ Storms Past ‘Paranormal Activity’ Spin-Off to Top Box Office appeared first on TheWrap.
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