'Hansel And Gretel' Bewitches Moviegoers
By Bill Wine
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - No title was able to crack the $20 million mark on a quiet weekend at multiplexes, but a new attraction took the box-office crown.
In an action-fantasy version of the fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters finished first on its debut weekend, earning an estimated $19 million.
Second place went to last weekend's box-office leader – the horror thriller, Mama. It took in $13 million.
In third and fourth place were two Oscar contenders: Silver Linings Playbook took in $10 million, while Zero Dark Thirty earned just under that.
The weekend's two other new mainstream releases also placed in the top ten. Parker, the Jason Statham-Jennifer Lopez action thriller, finished fifth with $7 million, while the compilation comedy, Movie 43, totaled $5 million, good for seventh place.
Overall, industry-wide totals were below those of a year ago.
