Variety reports the top movies, in terms of box office take, for the week of 21-27 December 2012. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey maintained its magical grip on the top of the charts, questing up $76.6 million, for a two-week total of $189.8 million. The new filmic incarnation of the Broadway musical of the uproariously uplifting (??) novel by Victor Hugo, Les Miserables opened on the 25th, yet still managed to find itself in second place. Quentin Tarantino’s new western Django Unchained also opened on the 25th, and wound up at #3. The new Tom Cruise action flick Jack Reacher opened at #4. Comedy quasi-sequel This is 40 opened at #5. Family feel-good comedy Parental Guidance opened on the 25th and wound up  at #6. Rise of the Guardians fell from #3 to #9, bringing in $11.7 million (nearly 20% more than last week), for a five-week total of $85.5 million. Monsters, Inc. 3D climbed from #17 to #10, making another $10.6 million, for a one-plus week total of $12.1 million.

Skyfall fell from #4 to #11, spying up $9.9 million (just a shade more than last week), for a seven-week total of $285.0 million. Life of Pi fell from #5 to #12, earning $8.5 million (also up from last week), for a five-week total of $80.9 million. The Cirque du Soleil fantasy movie Worlds Away opened at #14, making $4.9 million. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2 fell from #6 to #15, chewing up $4.7 million, for a six-week total of $283.7 million. Wreck-It Ralph fell from #7 to #16, tearing down $3.7 million, for an eight-week total of $173.7 million. Argo slipped from #13 to #17, rescuing $1.9 million (a little more than last week), for an eleven-week total of $107.5 million. Red Dawn fell from #9 to #20, shooting up $1.2 million, for a five-week total of $43.0 million.

Falling out of the top 25 this week was:
The Collection (last week’s #18) in its fourth week in release (box office total: $6.8 million)