Warner Bros/Everett Collection 
 
 Ending a painful year at the box office with one last disappointment, Warner Bros.’ “In the Heart of the Sea” quickly sank upon its release this weekend. 
 
 Despite the pedigree of director Ron Howard, star Chris Hemsworth and a story related to one of America’s greatest novels, “Moby Dick,” “In the Heart of the Sea” was unable to find as big an audience as the Time Warner studio had been seeking. The movie opened to a weak $11 million in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates. 
 
 Read More: Ron Howard’s Goal for “In the Heart of the Sea” 
 
 It was No. 2 on the box office chart behind “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2,” which grossed $11.3 million on its fourth weekend in theaters. 
 
 Warner Bros. and partner Village Roadshow Pictures spent nearly $100 million to make the movie — a budget that typically necessitates a bigger opening in order to end up a hit. 
 
 68% of those who came opening weekend were over 35, according to exit polls. That’s an audience that doesn’t typically rush out to see a movie opening weekend. Getting their attention in the next few weeks will be challenging, however, as presumed blockbuster “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” debuts Thursday night and six films open or expand nation-wide on Christmas Day. 
 
 “We knew this December would be crowded, so we opened earlier because we felt an adult audience will hear about this movie from word-of-mouth,” said Warner executive vice president of distribution Jeff Goldstein. “It’s all about getting to Christmas.” 
 
 Reviews for the movie were mixed, but opening night audiences gave it a B+, according to market research firm CinemaScore. 
 
 Warner’s movie business has had a tough 2015, ranking No. 3 at the box office despite releasing more movies than competitors and suffering a number of high profile flops including “Pan,” “Jupiter Ascending,” and “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” The studio has had to rely on stronger performances by its television and videogame businesses to bolster its bottom line. 
 
 “In the Heart of the Sea,” is the last movie financed by Warner Bros. that it will release this year. 
 
 Many at Warner are already looking ahead to March’s “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice” as the movie that they hope will turn things around. 
 
 With “In the Heart of the Sea” failing to draw much attention, several movies already in the market saw only modest declines in ticket sales including “Mockingjay,” “The Good Dinosaur,” and the “Rocky” follow-up “Creed,” one of Warner’s few hits this year. 
 
 The Wall Street comedy-drama “The Big Short,” riding strong reviews and Golden Globe nominations, grossed $720,000 at eight theaters. Its average take of $90,000 is the second highest for any movie this year, behind only “Steve Jobs.” The movie from Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures starts playing nation-wide on Christmas. ||||| Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE Katniss and her district engage in a revolution against the Capitol in 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2.' VPC 
 
 Jennifer Lawrence (center) and 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2' won the box office again. (Photo: Lionsgate) 
 
 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2 floated to the top of the box office for the fourth weekend in a row after the weekend's major opening, In the Heart of the Sea, was severely roughed up. 
 
 Director Ron Howard's whale ship survival story, starring Chris Hemsworth, scored only $11 million in its first three days, according to studio estimates. It's terrible news for the big budget drama with an estimated $100 million filming budget. 
 
 "In the Heart of the Sea is a beached whale," says Jeff Bock, lead analyst for Exhibitor Relations, of the reteaming of 2013's Rush filmmakers. "You can see studios being interested in this story. But the reviews just weren't there and there was no buzz whatsoever for this film." 
 
 Sea sank with critics, receiving a 43% positive approval rating on review aggregate site RottenTomatoes.com and a B-plus from audiences at CinemaScore. 
 
 (Photo: Jonathan Prime) 
 
 The low Sea numbers led to another easy victory for the buoyant Mockingjay, which earned $11.3 million in its fourth weekend for a total of $244.5 million. 
 
 The rest of the top weekend scorers were holdovers from past weeks including Pixar's The Good Dinosaur, which brought in $10.5 million for third place in its third weekend (and a total of $89.7 million). The Rocky reboot Creed fought for an additional $10.1 million in its third weekend for fourth place ($79.3 million total). 
 
 Christmas horror film Krampus rounded out the top five with $8 million in its second weekend with a total of $28.2 million. 
 
 Director Adam McKay's look at the 2008 housing crash, The Big Short, was a big winner in its limited opening weekend. The Big Short scored $720,000 in just eight theaters for a tremendous average of $90,000 per theater. The opening was propelled to even greater heights after the film landed four Golden Globe nominations (including best comedy) last week and two Screen Actors Guild nominations, including best ensemble cast for Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale (also up for supporting actor) and Steve Carell. 
 
 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell star in the movie adaption of Michael Lewis' book 'The Big Short.' 
 
 "This is at the top of everyone's must-see list with that dream cast. They are filling theaters in a major way," says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Rentrak. "This film's success is based on critical acclaim, awards buzz and audience reaction, all of which have been stellar thus far." 
 
 The Big Short scored an 86% approval rating on RottenTomatoes.com and an A from audiences at CinemaScore. 
 
 But in the slow weekend, the looming tidal wave is the mega-release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Friday). 
 
 "We're bracing. Right now, it's nothing but Star Wars," says Dergarabedian. "And that's even impacting this weekend. The true big question is, how big will Star Wars be? This is a huge watershed moment." 
 
 Final numbers are expected Monday. 
 
 (Photo: Jaap Buitendijk) 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1YcXHF0 ||||| CLOSE 'American Sniper' topped the U.S. box office with takings of $90 million, a record for a January opening. The film, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley Cooper as Navy Seal Chris Kyle, performed twice as well as studio estimates. VPC 
 
 "American Sniper," with Kyle Gallner, left, and Bradley Cooper, was No. 1 at the weekend box office. (Photo: Warner Bros.) 
 
 Clint Eastwood's American Sniper ignited the holiday weekend box office, leaving January records behind as it made a stunning $90.2 million in three days. 
 
 The total easily topped the previous January high, James Cameron's Avatar at $68 million in 2010. Warner Bros. estimates that American Sniper will make $105 million over the four-day Martin Luther King weekend, which would be another record. 
 
 CLOSE "American Sniper" tells the story of U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle who the military credits with the most confirmed kills of any marksman in American history. Starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller. Directed by Clint Eastwood. VPC 
 
 "This is staggering. It's blockbuster numbers in January, the sort of numbers usually reserved for summer films and superhero movies," says Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst for Rentrak. "No one saw this coming. The film has been building an audience and blasting any projections all weekend." 
 
 The $105 million tally is more than double what analysts were expecting, Dergarabedian says. It marks director Eastwood's biggest debut, surpassing Gran Torino, which earned $29.5 million in 2008. American Sniper topped that with Friday's $30.5 million opening. The estimated IMAX total on 332 screens for the four-day weekend is $11.5 million (yet another record). 
 
 American Sniper, with Bradley Cooper starring as Navy SEAL sharpshooter Chris Kyle, initially opened in December to packed theaters in limited release — making nearly $3.4 million on a handful of screens in Los Angeles, New York and Dallas. It got a boost from Thursday's Oscar nominations, receiving six, including best picture and Cooper for best actor. 
 
 The film has maintained a coveted A-plus CinemaScore with audiences throughout its release. 
 
 CLOSE Doug Harris played by Josh Gad is a lovable but socially awkward groom-to-be with a problem: he has no best man, so he turns to a best-man-for-hire to help him out. VPC 
 
 Josh Gad and Kevin Hart's The Wedding Ringer took second place with $21 million for the three-day weekend (an estimated $25 million for four days). The raunchy R-rated comedy is the fourth Hart film in a row to open with more than $20 million. 
 
 The comedy overcame a 33% critical approval rating on RottenTomatoes.com and scored 79% approval with audiences. 
 
 CLOSE A young bear named Paddington makes his way to England in search of a new home, the family that takes him in begins to treat him as one of their own. VPC 
 
 Live-action family film Paddington took third place with $19.3 million ($24 million projected for the holiday weekend). The film, based on the beloved bear star of the children's books, scored well with critics (98% approval on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences (87%) alike. 
 
 
 
 
 
 CLOSE Ex-covert operative Bryan Mills played by Liam Neeson and his ex-wife, Lenore, are enjoying a reconciliation when Lenore is brutally murdered in 'Taken 3.' Neeson is framed for the crime and flees, with the CIA, FBI and police all in hot pursuit. VPC 
 
 Liam Neeson's Taken 3 fell to fourth after winning the box office last weekend. The film earned $14 million for three days and an expected $16.4 million for the long weekend. 
 
 Appropriately, director Ava DuVernay's Selma rounded out the top five films with $8.3 million for the three-day weekend, and an estimated $10.3 million for the full MLK holiday. 
 
 If estimates hold up, this will be a record Martin Luther King weekend, with $240 million total through Monday, propelled by Sniper. That would beat 2009's record MLK weekend of $231.5 million for the four days when Paul Blart: Mall Cop made its debut. 
 
 
 
 
 
 CLOSE USA Today Movie Critic Claudia Puig discusses "Blackhat" and tell you whether to "Catch It," "Rent It," or "Skip It" in this week's edition of The Screening Room. 
 
 Perhaps the weekend's only disappointment was the debut of the Chris Hemsworth-starring Blackhat, which earned $4 million for the weekend ($4.6 million for the four-day). The hacker film directed by Michael Mann scored a C-minus with audiences on CinemaScore. 
 
 Final numbers are expected Tuesday. 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1Bo8Gox
– More people opted to watch the final installment of The Hunger Games, prominently featuring Liam Hemsworth in its fourth week of release, than did those who showed up to witness the drubbing Chris Hemsworth took in the debut of what was supposed to be a star turn in Ron Howard's In the Heart of the Sea. Mockingjay: Part 2 took in $11.3 million this weekend, reports USA Today, good enough for its fourth consecutive crown, while In the Heart of the Sea managed $11 million. The movie "is a beached whale," says one analyst. "You can see studios being interested in this story. But the reviews just weren't there and there was no buzz whatsoever for this film." It's been a tough year for Warner Bros., notes the Wall Street Journal: In the Heart of the Sea marks just the latest in a series of flops that included Pan, Jupiter Ascending, and The Man From UNCLE. Warner Bros. has released more movies than its competitors, yet ranks No. 3 at the box office in 2015. For those looking for something in theaters to get excited about, the new Star Wars movie opens Thursday.