‘The Hobbit’ wins again at the box office
Over the post-Christmas holiday weekend, Peter Jackson’s ‘‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’’ continued to lead the box office for the third weekend in a row. The Warner Bros. prequel earned $30 million, bringing the domestic gross to $190.3 million, according to studio estimates on Sunday. Disney’s ‘‘Frozen’’ took second, earning $28.9 million. Paramount held two slots in the top five with the comedies ‘‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues,’’ starring Will Farrell and ‘‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’’ featuring Leonardo DiCaprio. ‘‘Anchorman 2’’ came in third with $20.2 million and Martin Scorsese’s ‘‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’’ came in fifth, earning $19 million after opening at No. 2 on Christmas day with $9.15 million. At number four, Sony Pictures locally-made ‘‘American Hustle,’ made $19.6 million. David O. Russell’s take on the Abscam investigation of the 1970s, starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, and Bradley Cooper, has grossed $60 million domestically and garnered seven Golden Globe nominations. ‘‘Saving Mr. Banks,’’ Disney’s making-of ‘‘Mary Poppins’’ story, starring Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks, came in sixth, making $14.3 million. Fox’s ‘‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,’’ Ben Stiller’s dramatic turn, which he also directed, took seventh place, earning $13 million. And Keanu Reeves’s martial-arts film ‘‘47 Ronin’’ took ninth with $10 million in its opening weekend. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. (AP)
Spears debut in Vegas
Britney Spears has begun her early retirement in Las Vegas with a show that looks strikingly like the eye-popping Cirque du Soleil productions found elsewhere on the Strip. The debut of Spears’s long-term casino gig Friday kept an audience of about 4,500 on their feet for 90 minutes. The young-for-Vegas crowd was there for the danceable hits and the spectacle, which included acrobatics, a ring of fire, confetti, a live band, frenetic costume changes, and a frequently airborne Spears. The show’s production values are unusually high for a casino residency, often calling to mind the golden age of music videos. Its high-concept set pieces featured a cadre of backup dancers who danced in human-size hamster wheels and somersaulted over the Grammy-winning star. Spears, 32, has signed on to perform 50 shows each in 2014 and 2015 at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. Younger divas Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and Katy Perry lent moral support from the audience. Casino executives say the gig may be extended if it proves a success. (AP)
Robertson to return
‘‘Duck Dynasty’’ patriarch Phil Robertson will return to work on A&E’s reality show despite his comments about gay immorality, the channel said Friday, reversing its decision to suspend him after facing a boycott backlash. In a statement Friday, A&E said it was bringing Robertson back after discussions with his Louisiana family featured in the hit reality series and ‘‘numerous advocacy groups.’’ Last week, the channel had put Robertson (inset) on what it called an indefinite ‘‘hiatus’’ because of his comments in a GQ magazine article that the Bible views gays as sinners akin to adulterers, prostitutes, and swindlers. A&E said it decided to drop Robertson from the show about a wealthy family that makes duck calls because it is part of a company whose core values are ‘‘centered around creativity, inclusion and mutual respect.’’ While reiterating that Robertson’s views are not those of the channel, A&E noted Friday that he has publicly said he would ‘‘never incite or encourage hate.’’ The show itself is more than one man’s views, it added. ‘‘It resonates with a large audience because it is a show about family, a family that America has come to love. As you might have seen in many episodes, they come together to reflect and pray for unity, tolerance and forgiveness,’’ A&E said. The Robertson family said it had no immediate comment Friday. Robertson’s remarks in GQ were quickly slammed by groups including GLAAD, the gay rights group, which responded critically to A&E’s decision Friday. ‘‘If dialogue with Phil is not part of [the] next steps then A&E has chosen profits over African-American and gay people — especially its employees and viewers,’’ GLAAD said, referring to Robertson’s comment to GQ that he never saw ‘‘the mistreatment of any black person’’ and that the ones he picked cotton with in the pre-civil rights South were happy. But A&E’s move against Robertson provoked a flood of support from those who share his views and others who defended his freedom of speech. ‘‘Duck Dynasty’’ is on hiatus until Jan. 15, and the network has said that nine of next season’s 10 episodes have already been filmed. That means Robertson likely wasn’t needed in front of the camera before next March. A&E said it intended to launch a national public service campaign ‘‘promoting unity, tolerance and acceptance among all people.’’ (AP)
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