Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings flock back to revisit Middle Earth as The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [HOBIT] earned an estimated $84.8 million to set a new opening weekend record for December. Breaking I Am Legend's previous high of $77.2 million was expected however, and many in the industry were anticipating a $100+ million debut. The audience was 58% over the age of 25 and 57% male, while 49% opted for the 3D version. Along fans gave The Hobbit an A cinemascore, reviews have not been as gloring as those of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which may affect interest from casual moviegoers.
Rise of the Guardians [GURDN] remained at second with $7.4 million, bringing its total to $71.4 million.
Buoyed by award nominations, Lincoln tallied $7.2 million to finish in third place.
| Rank | TITLE | F-S-S | TOTAL |
| 1 | THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY | $84,775,000 | $84,775,000 |
| 2 | RISE OF THE GUARDIANS | $7,420,000 | $71,362,000 |
| 3 | LINCOLN | $7,244,000 | $107,898,000 |
| 4 | SKYFALL | $7,000,000 | $272,366,000 |
| 5 | LIFE OF PI | $5,400,000 | $69,559,406 |
| 6 | TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN PT. 2 | $5,175,000 | $276,865,069 |
| 7 | WRECK-IT RALPH | $3,273,000 | $168,779,000 |
| 8 | PLAYING FOR KEEPS | $3,247,000 | $10,838,092 |
| 9 | RED DAWN | $2,394,000 | $40,889,423 |
| 10 | SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK | $2,084,000 | $16,954,049 |
| 11 | FLIGHT | $1,940,000 | $89,448,000 |
| 12 | ARGO | $1,145,000 | $104,930,000 |