The last movie of Sir Peter Jackson's three Hobbit films has topped the American and Canadian weekend box office charts.
An estimated $72 million worth of tickets were sold for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, adding to the $44 million already earned from Wednesday and Thursday screenings.
The third Hobbit instalment is doing brisk business in North America. Photo: SUPPLIED
The film's weekend earnings were more than three times those of its nearest rival at the box office, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, which took $22.2 million and featured the final on-screen performance by the late Robin Williams.
Third place for the weekend before Christmas went to the musical remake Annie, which had been stolen by hackers who attacked the Sony movie studio's computer network and placed on online piracy sites three weeks ago. Annie earned $20.9 million at domestic theatres.
The Hobbit films star Martin Freeman in the story based on the classic fantasy novel by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Night at the Museum, the third in the series about exhibits that come to life, features Ben Stiller as a night-time security guard and Williams as Teddy Roosevelt.
Quvenzhane Wallis plays the title character in Annie, a contemporary remake of the 1977 Broadway musical about an orphaned girl.
Biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings finished fourth for the weekend with $10.4 million. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 took the No. 5 spot with $10 million.
