Friday Report: 'Exodus' Rules with $8.6 Million
Ridley Scott'sExodus: Gods and Kingseasily took first place on another quiet Friday at the box office.

Playing at 3,503 locations,Exodusopened to an estimated $8.6 million yesterday. That's significantly lower thanNoah's $15.2 million debut, though the gap is due in part to the December release (when there's less of a rush on opening weekend).

The opening is at least on par with past December releasesThe Golden Compass($8.7 million) andThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader($8.3 million). For the weekend,Exodusis poised to earn between $23 and $25 million.

After leading the box office for the past three weeks,The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1dropped to second place on Friday. The movie eased 43 percent—another strong hold—to $3.79 million, which brings its total to $269 million. Look for it to earn at least $12 million over the three-day frame.

Opening at 979 theaters,Chris Rock'sTop Fivewound up in third place with an estimated $2.5 million. That's a solid start for a movie playing in less than 1,000 theaters. For the weekend,Top Fivewill likely get to $7 million.

Penguins of Madagascaradded $1.57 million on Friday, which puts it on track for around $7 million this weekend.Christopher Nolan'sInterstellarrounded out the Top Five with $1.49 million.

Paul Thomas Anderson'sInherent Viceopened to $128,000 at five locations yesterday, which translates to a strong per-theater average of $25,600. While that doesn't compare toThe Master($48,425), it's still one of the biggest New York/Los Angeles debuts of the year so far. For the weekend,Inherent Viceshould wind up with an average of at least $70,000 per theater.

Weekend Projections

1.Exodus- $23.5 million

2.Mockingjay- $12.5 million

3.Penguins- $7.1 million

4.Top Five- $7 million

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Forecast: 'Exodus' to Reign Supreme at the Box Office This Weekend

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Grosses for Friday, December 12, 2014

• 2014 Domestic Box Office