'Anchorman 2' Staying Classy To Top US Box Office This Weekend

Anchorman 2: The Lengend Continues has been lighting up cinema screens since Wednesday (18 December) this week and looks set to continue its impressive run into next week and emerge as the top grossing film of the weekend. Having opened strongly mid-week, the reunited Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner have maintained their steady rise to the top.

All the gang, plus a secretary and some other guy, are back for the new Anchorman

In just five days since it was released, the film is estimated to have made $61.3 million already (via Box Office Mojo), with a massive $40.1 million coming in over the weekend period alone. Clearly people have recognised that Anchorman 2 is kind of a big deal, and they responded as expected.

Critics are being (mostly) positive in their reviews

The outlook looks good for Ron Burgundy and his fellow suit-wearing stallions, but they could have been better had Paramount not released the film at such a hectic period. Unlike their summer equivalents, blockbusters predicted for an impressive return in cinemas tend to under-perform around this time of year. The film may go on to be an exception to this rule however, with early predictions for it's initial, five day run being around $50 million. Thank Paramount's marketing team if that proves to be the case, with their tireless Ron Burgundy exposure and for selling the film so well to the original's die hard fans.

Watch the trailer for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Next Page: What else have people been seeing this weekend?

Whilst Anchorman 2 draws in the biggest crowd of the weekend, the rest of the top six looks as though it will perform considerably well, with each film predicted to make over $10 million each. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug will probably be Anchorman 2's closest competitor, with early estimates predicting a final weekend taking around the $29.6 million mark.

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) fights dragons in Peter Jackson's latest Hobbit instalment

Making their debut into a mass market after only limited releases last week, both American Hustle and Saving Mr. Banks looks set end their first proper weeks in cinemas well. As American Hustle looks set to capitalise on its strong critical reception and Golden Globe nods, the film should make somewhere around $16 million by the end of the week. Saving Mr. Banks might not perform so well, with the light-hearted romp unlikely to appeal to as many audiences as David O. Russell's more fast-paced American Hustle. Expect the Disney film to earn somewhere between $11 - 12 million.

Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jermey Renner, Christian Bale and Jennifer Lawrence star in American Hustle

Finishing off the rest of the top six should be another Disney film and its only kid-aimed competitor, with Frozen continuing to draw in a strong audience and newcomer Walking With Dinosaurs holding up the list. Frozen is expected to make around $16 million, whilst Walking With Dinosaurs is expected to come in just short of $12 mil. with a predicted $11.8 million (all estimates come via Box Office Mojo).

Watch the trailer for Walking With Dinosaurs