The Hobbit

First Weekend: $84,617,303
Gross (as of 12/29): $600,508,000
Budget*: $180,000,000
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%.
Max’s Rating**: “The Hobbit,” despite not wowing the critics, managed to pull in an incredible profit and draw the largest opening weekend revenue of all movies ever released in December (not accounting for inflation).
 

Django Unchained

First Weekend: $30,688,000
Gross (as of 12/30): $64,008,000
Budget: $100,000,000
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% 
Max’s Rating: Although “Django” has yet to pull in a profit, its run in theaters has not nearly ended yet. It seems on pace to make a solid profit, and that, coupled with high critical acclaim, earns the movie five stars.
 

Les Miserables

First Weekend: $28,027,000
Gross (as of 12/30): $67,466,000
Budget: $61,000,000
Rotten Tomatoes: 70%
Max’s Rating: “Les Miserables” has been unimpressive in the box office so far, although there is still plenty of time to make a profit. That, and its above-average reviews from critics, earn it four stars.

 

Jack Reacher

First Weekend: $15,600,000
Gross (as of 12/30): $44,661,000
Budget: $60,000,000
Rotten Tomatoes: 62%
Max’s Rating: “Jack Reacher” has garnered favorable reviews and is likely to make a decent profit. Although not exceptional, these results are above average.

 

Parental Guidance

First Weekend: $14,800,000
Gross (as of 12/30): $29,589,000
Budget: $25,000,000
Rotten Tomatoes: 19%
Max’s Rating: Although “Parental Guidance” will probably earn a profit (albeit not a very large one, in all likelihood) it was a critical flop and thus gets two stars.

 

This Is 40

First Weekend: $12,030,690
Gross (as of 12/30): $37,116,000
Budget: $35,000,000
Rotten Tomatoes: 51%
Max’s Rating: “This Is 40,” a mediocre movie in critics’ eyes, seems likely to turn a decent profit. A middle-of-the-pack film both financially and qualitatively, it gets three stars.
 

Playing for Keeps

First Weekend: $5,750,288
Gross(as of 12/16): $10,737,535
Budget: $35,000,000
Rotten Tomatoes: 4%
Max’s Rating: “Playing for Keeps” is one of those movies with very few redeeming factors. A critical trainwreck, the movie will almost certainly fail to turn a profit, given that it has been out for a month now and still has not grossed even a third of its approximate budget.
 

The Guilt Trip

First Weekend: $5,390,000
Gross(as of 12/30): $21,102,000
Budget: $40,000,000
Rotten Tomatoes: 37%
Max’s Rating: “The Guilt Trip” still has a long way to go in order to make a profit, and poor reviews have not helped its cause.
 

Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away

First Weekend: $2,135,000
Gross (as of 12/23): $2,254,000
Budget: unknown
Rotten Tomatoes: 55%
Max’s Rating: n/a
 
All financial data gathered from the Internet Movie Database. Rotten Tomatoes ratings gathered from Rotten Tomatoes
*All budgets are approximate totals
**Ratings based on a combination of box office success and critical acclaim. I have not seen every movie on the list and therefore do not factor my opinion of any of the movies into its rating.