DECEMBER 12 UPDATE: La La Land delivered a $881,104 limited launch from five sites for the second best specialty opening weekend average in history.

Moana La La Land

After three weekends Moana added $18.5m to reach $144.7m. Meanwhile Paramount’s comedy Office Christmas Party with Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Rob Corddry and TJ Miller managed an unremarkable number two debut on a confirmed $16.9m from 3,210 theatres and reportedly cost $45m to produce.

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them ranks third on $198.9m after three sessions, while Doctor Strange in fifth stands at $222.3m after six.

Arrival, distributed via Paramount in North America, slipped to fourth place after a mere 23.1% drop, adding $5.6m in the fifth weekend for a tremendous $81.4m running total.

Two other awards contenders broke into the top ten. Nocturnal Animals surged nine places to seventh as Focus Features expanded the drama-thriller from 127 to 1,262 theatres in the fourth session, boosting box office by $3.2m for a $6.2m running total.

La La Land arrived via Lionsgate in 15th place and averaged $176,221 after grossing $881,104 at five sites. This ranks only behind The Grand Budapest Hotel’s $202,792 opening weekend average in 2014 in the all-time pantheon.

Roadside Attractions expanded Manchester By The Sea in its fourth session from 156 to 366 as the drama added $3.1m for $8.3m and climbed three places to eighth.

Loving ranks 16th on $6.6m after six weekends through Focus Features, and Moonlight ranks 18th on $10.8m after eight through A24.

Music Box opened The Brand New Testament at number 49 on $10.4k from five venues.

The top 12 combined for $74.7m overall, down 14.7% on last weekend and up 7% on the comparable session in 2015, when The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 reigned supreme for the fourth weekend.

This week’s wide release is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story starring Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker, Donnie Yen, Diego Luna and Riz Ahmed through Buena Vista; and Warner Bros’ Will Smith drama Collateral Beauty.

Confirmed top 10 North America December 9-11, 2016
Film (Dist) / Conf wkd gross / Conf total to date

1 (1) Moana (Buena Vista) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International $18.5m $144.7m

2 (-) Office Christmas Party (Paramount) Paramount Pictures International $16.9m –

3 (2) Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (Warner Bros) Warner Bros Pictures International $10.4m $198.9m

4 (3) Arrival (Paramount) FilmNation $5.6m $81.4m

(5) Doctor Strange (Buena Vista) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International $4.5m $222.3m

6 (4) Allied (Paramount) Paramount Pictures International $3.9m $35.6m

7 (16) Nocturnal Animals (Focus Features) FilmNation $3.2m $6.2m

8 (11) Manchester By The Sea (Amazon-Roadside Attractions) Sierra/Affinity / Universal Pictures International $3.1m $8.3m

9 (6) Trolls (Fox) Fox International $3m $145.4m

10 (7) Hacksaw Ridge (Lionsgate) IM Global $2.3m $60.9m