Christmas box office: "The Interview" earns nearly $1 million

The fans have spoken -- though "The Interview" only played in about 300 independent theaters on Christmas Day, the film still managed to gross nearly $1 million at the box office.

Alamo Drafthouse, one of the chains that showed the controversial film, said on Christmas Eve that it sold out all opening day screenings at its 17 locations.

The opening day numbers for "The Interview" may drop in the coming days, as the film is now available to stream via YouTube, Google Play, Microsoft's Xbox Video and its own http://www.seetheinterview.com website.

The staggered release of that film may have benefited the competition; "Unbroken," "Into The Woods" and "The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies" are reportedly all on track for a $40 million four-day weekend.

Angelina Jolie's war drama "Unbroken" did surprisingly well Christmas day, grossing about $15 million at 3,131 locations, Variety reports. The story of Olympian and war hero Louis Zamperini could hit $45 million over the holiday weekend.

"Into The Woods", an adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical, also performed well. The film grossed $13.6 million on Christmas Day, playing at 2,424 locations. That film is reportedly expected to make between $39 million to $44 million this weekend.

Peter Jackson's third "Hobbit" film doubled its $6 million Christmas Eve total to about $12 million at 3,875 theaters, leading to a likely $40 million weekend. A U.S. total around $155 million by the end of Sunday would be in line with the two previous "Hobbit" films.

Paramount's remake of "The Gambler" opened modestly but respectively with about $4.5 million at 2,478 locations on Christmas, portending a weekend of around $15 million. The Weinstein Co.'s "Big Eyes" was even more modest with an opening $1.5 million at 1,307 theaters.

Tell us: Did you go to the movies on Christmas Day?