'Frozen' dominated the weekend box office

Ah, winter, how I hate you. I'm sure I'm not alone, particularly right now, as most of us shiver our way into the work week. But our hatred of winter apparently does not spill over into our movie habits: Disney's Frozen landed back in the number one spot after three weeks in the number two spot, proving beyond any doubt that it's a huge blockbuster. Given that almost everyone I know who's seen Frozen raves about it, I think it's great that we're starting out 2014 on a positive note.

And now, for the blah news: The fifth movie in the Paranormal Activity franchise, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, only managed second place in its debut weekend. All total, Frozen earned $20.7 million, while PA: The Marked Ones only managed to take in $18.2 million. That's not horrible, but it's a pretty clear sign that people are sick and tired of this particular franchise. I actually thought the first two Paranormal Activity movies were decent, but the third and fourth films were terrible.

As for the rest of the top five, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug dropped to third place after spending several weeks at number one. This sequel took in $16.3 million. The Wolf of Wall Street continues to do well, coming in fourth with $13.4 million, and American Hustle, one of my favorite movies of last year, was fifth with $13.2 million.

Oh well, it is January now, and that means the pickings will be pretty slim at the box office compared to recent weeks. Time to adjust our thinking! I'll do my best, in any upcoming reviews, to let you know honestly if you can wait for the DVDs. There's just zero sense in spending $10 (or more) to only be mildly entertained.

Did you spend your New Year's holiday at the movie theater? If so, what did you see, and did you love or hate it? I'd love to hear your reviews in the comments!

Photo courtesy of EW.com