LOS ANGELES, USA (AP) — The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey continues to rule them all at the box office, staying on top for a third-straight week and capping a record-setting US$10.8-billion year in movie-going.

The Warner Bros fantasy epic from director Peter Jackson, based on the beloved JRR Tolkien novel, made nearly US$33 million this weekend, according to yesterday studio estimates, despite serious competition from some much-anticipated newcomers. It's now made US$222.7 million domestically alone.

Two big holiday movies — and potential Academy Awards contenders — also had strong openings. Quentin Tarantino's spaghetti Western-blaxploitation mash-up Django Unchained came in second place for the weekend with US$30.7 million. The Weinstein Co revenge comedy, starring Jamie Foxx as a slave in the Civil War South and Christoph Waltz as the bounty hunter who frees him and then makes him his partner, has earned US$64 million since its Christmas Day opening.