The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is giving the holiday box office a much-needed boost this weekend, adding a stellar $16.5 million Friday on its way to the No. 1 spot for the weekend. Peter Jackson’s film, based on the work of J. R. R. Tolkien, should earn north of $86 million after opening Wednesday (about $54 million for the traditional three-day window), far above the original estimates of $75 million to $80 million. There’s a heated race building for the No. 2 spot this weekend between the other two newcomers: Fox’s Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and Sony’s musical Annie. Fox’s Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, directed by Shawn Levy, added $5.6 million Friday on its way to about $18 million for the weekend. In a rare bit of good news for the hack-embattled Sony, the remake Annie, starring Quvenzhane Wallis, earned a solid $5.3 million Friday and got a favorable A- CinemaScore.
