‘Catching Fire,’ ‘Frozen’ to stay on top as ‘Out of the Furnace’ bows

After a gigantic Thanksgiving, the post-holiday box-office weekend will again belong to Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” and Walt Disney Pictures’ “Frozen.”

“Catching Fire,” the post-apocalyptic sci-fi action movie starring Jennifer Lawrence, is expected to generate about $35 million to $40 million in domestic ticket sales, likely topping the chart for the third weekend in a row after posting a record-breaking $109.9 million haul over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend. The “Hunger Games” sequel has made more than $303.7 million at the box office domestically as of Monday.

Neck and neck with “Catching Fire” will be the 3-D animated musical “Frozen,” which features the voices of Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel. If it sees a drop similar to Disney’s 2010 Thanksgiving opener “Tangled,” it would make $30 million to $35 million.

“Frozen” took in nearly $93.6 million over the five-day holiday period, which broke the record for the biggest Thanksgiving weekend debut. It was also the second-biggest Thanksgiving weekend grosser ever, next to “Catching Fire.”

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The two blockbusters will lack for competition at the top of the box-office charts until next weekend, when the Warner Bros. sequel “The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug” hits theaters, alongside “Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas” from Lionsgate.

The only other major movie opening wide this weekend is Relativity Media’s “Out of the Furnace,” which is expected to take in about $8 million through Sunday, according to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys. The film, which got a limited opening on Wednesday and expands on Friday, cost $22 million to make.

Reviews have been mixed for the movie. On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently has a “fresh” rating of 59%.

Directed by Scott Cooper, who gained notoriety for his “Crazy Heart,” “Out of the Furnace” stars Christian Bale as blue-collar Rust Belt worker who tangles with a ruthless crime ring when his brother (Casey Affleck) disappears after returning from a stint serving in Iraq. The film, which also stars Zoe Saldana, Woody Harrelson, Sam Shepard and Forest Whitaker, will open wide after a limited release in four locations in New York and Los Angeles.

“Inside Llewyn Davis,” the critical darling from Joel and Ethan Coen about a 1960s folk singer in Greenwich Village, gets its limited release in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles.

The comedy/drama from CBS Films, starring Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan, has received high praise from reviewers -- indicated by its 96% “fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes -- and it won the coveted Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.

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