UPDATE 1-Box Office: 'Hunger Games,' 'Krampus' Top Slow Post-Thanksgiving Weekend

(Adds other movies)
By Brent Lang
LOS ANGELES, Dec 6 (Variety.com) - Wake Hollywood up when
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" arrives.
With two weeks to go before Luke, Leia, Han, and a phalanx
of storm troopers and droids descend on multiplexes, "The Hunger
Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" topped box office charts in an
otherwise quiet weekend. The science-fiction sequel earned $18.6
million, pushing its stateside haul to $ $227.1 million.
The weekend after Thanksgiving is historically one of the
slowest of the year and the 2015 edition didn't break with
tradition. Studios largely steered clear of offering up new
releases, with the one major exception being "Krampus," a darkly
comic horror film from Legendary and Universal that picked up a
solid $16 million. The story of a horned demon who injects a
sinister edge into a Suburban family's Christmas celebrations
stars Adam Scott and Toni Collette. It was directed by Michael
Dougherty ("Trick 'r Treat").
Without much in the way of new blood, a trio of holdovers
rounded out the top five. "Creed" rode Oscar buzz and strong
word-of-mouth to a third place finish, racking up $15.5 million
to drive the "Rocky" spin-off's domestic total to $65.1 million.
"The Good Dinosaur" finished in fourth with $15.5 million,
dropping off more than expected and falling roughly 60%. Usually
Pixar and Disney films have better holds. The animated film has
earned $75.9 million so far. And "Spectre" took fifth position
with $5.4 million. The latest James Bond adventure has earned
$184.5 million.
In a failed bid for the faith-based crowd, Freestyle
Releasing offered up "The Letters," a look at the life of Mother
Teresa, in 886 theaters, where it grossed an uninspiring
$802,000.
In limited release, the Weinstein Company opened "MacBeth"
in five theaters, where the film adaptation of the "Scottish
Play" earned a lackluster $67,868, for a per-screen average of
$13,573.
Fox Searchlight's "Youth" fared slightly better, nabbing
80,000 from four theaters for a per-location average of $20,000.
The picture centers on an aging composer (Michael Caine) at a
spa and is directed by "The Great Beauty" Oscar-winner Paolo
Sorrentino.
Amazon (O:AMZN) launched its first theatrical release with Spike
Lee's "Chi-Raq," a look at gun violence that debuted as Chicago
grapples with mounting outrage over a police shooting of Laquan
McDonald. It earned $1.2 million over 305 screens and is being
distributed by Roadside Attractions.Chicago audiences were more
receptive, handing the picture a $15,000-plus per-screen average
on 22 screens.
"The numbers out of Chicago are phenomenal," said Bob
Berney, Amazon Studios' marketing and distribution head. "All of
this is a testament to the support of the local Chicago
community and, across the board, the urgency of the situation.
'Chi-Raq' has been recognized as a call to action to stop the
violence plaguing cities across the country, not only Chicago."