NEW YORK (AP) — On busy pre-Christmas weekend at the box office, ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ held off a very different sequel, ‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues’.

Peter Jackson’s ‘Hobbit’ sequel took in US$31.5 million in its second weekend of release for Warner Bros, according to studio estimates Sunday.

That topped Will Ferrell’s ‘Anchorman’ sequel, which nevertheless opened strongly in second place. The Paramount Pictures comedy made US$26.8 million over the three-day weekend and US$40 million since opening Tuesday night.

The much-marketed ‘Anchorman 2’ actually outperformed ‘The Hobbit’ (which has now passed US$300 million worldwide) on Friday, but failed to best it over Saturday and Sunday. But the US$50 million comedy, which Paramount initially turned down, also suggested it will be more popular abroad than most comedies. It made US$13.4 million in six international markets.

The 2004 original opened with US$28.4 million, but only grossed US$5.3 million internationally.

“’Anchorman’ will have a much larger footprint internationally than the last ‘Anchorman” did,” said Don Harris, head of domestic distribution for Paramount.

“Will Ferrell has done a really good job of turning this character into something that travels around the world.”

David O Russell’s fictionalization of the 1970s Abscam investigation ‘American Hustle’ earned a robust US$19.1 million in its first week of nationwide expansion. The Sony Pictures film, starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence, got a boost from its co-leading seven Golden Globes nominations.

“It’s such a crowd-pleaser as well as a critical hit,” said Sony’s distribution head Rory Bruer. “We have so much more to look forward to, including Christmas Day.”

The pre-Christmas weekend is a sought-after release date, one that usually offers films especially good legs at the box office as moviegoers flood theatres over the coming weeks. The weekend box office was up nearly 30 per cent over the same weekend last year.

But this year’s holiday frame will be particularly competitive. The crowded field of movie openings Wednesday includes Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, Ben Stiller’s ‘The Life of Walter Mitty’, the Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone comedy ‘Grudge Match’, the Justin Bieber documentary ‘Justin Bieber’s Believe’ and Keanu Reeves’ ’47 Ronin’.

“It is going to be one heck of a crowded Christmas Day at the movie theatre,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. “This is setting up to be perhaps one of the biggest Christmas Days ever.”

One obvious casualty from the many options at the multiplexes was 20th Century Fox’s ‘Walking With Dinosaurs’, a 3-D attraction that hoped to draw moviegoers with digital dinosaurs. Made for US$85 million, it fell flat with just US$7.3 million over the weekend.

The family market has instead been cornered by Disney’s animated ‘Frozen’, which added US$19.2 million over the weekend. In five weeks of release, it’s made US$344 million worldwide.

The other Oscar-hopeful that went wide over the weekend, Disney’s making-of ‘Mary Poppins’ tale ‘Saving Mr Banks’. The film, starring Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks, made US$9.3 million.

Spike Jonze’s acclaimed futuristic romance ‘Her’, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlet Johansson, opened in limited release. It took in $361,000 over five days in three cities, good for a US$60,000 screen average.

Despite some high-profile summer bombs, the 2013 box office is on track to narrowly surpass last year’s record box office of US$10.8 billion, with one weekend to go in the year.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theatres, according to Rentrak. Where available, latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday:

1) Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug — $31.5 million.

2) Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues — $26.8 million.

3) Frozen — $19.2 million.

4) American Hustle — $19.1 million.

5) Saving Mr Banks — $9.3 million.

6) Hunger Games: Catching Fire — $8.8 million.

7) Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas — $8.5 million.

8) Walking With Dinosaurs — $7.3 million.

9) Dhoom 3 — $3.3 million.

10) Thor: The Dark World — $1.3 million.