This is a list of films which placed number one at the weekend box office for the year 2012.

Number-one films †This implies the highest-grossing movie of the year. Weekend end date Film Gross Notes 1 The Devil Inside $33,732,515 2 Contraband $24,349,815 3 Underworld: Awakening $25,306,725 4 The Grey $19,665,101 5 Chronicle $22,004,098 Chronicle broke Jawss record ($7 million) for the highest opening debut for a young filmmaker. 6 The Vow $41,202,458 The Vow broke Hitchs record ($7.5 million) for the highest mid-week Valentine's Day gross with $11.6 million. 7 Safe House $23,641,575 Safe House reached #1 in its second weekend of release. 8 Act of Valor $24,476,632 9 The Lorax $70,217,070 The Lorax broke Tangleds records ($48.8 million) for the highest weekend debuts for a musical film and for an animated musical film. 10 $38,846,020 11 21 Jump Street $36,302,612 12 The Hunger Games $152,535,747 The Hunger Games broke Alice in Wonderlands records ($116.1 million) for the highest weekend debut in March, for a non-sequel, and for a spring release. It also broke The Twilight Saga: New Moons record ($142.8 million) for highest weekend debut for a film featuring a female protagonist. It also broke The Day After Tomorrow record ($68 million) for the highest debut for a Lionsgate film and Madea Goes to Jail record ($41 million) for the highest debut for a film disturbed by lionsgate. 13 $58,551,063 14 $33,111,557 15 $21,096,824 The Hunger Games became the first film since Avatar to top the box office for four consecutive weekends. It also became the first film since The Help to top the box office in its fourth weekend. 16 Think Like a Man $33,636,303 17 $17,604,141 18 The Avengers † $207,438,708 The Avengers broke Spider-Man 3s record ($151.1 million) for the highest weekend debut in May. It also broke The Dark Knights record ($158.4 million) for the highest weekend debut for a superhero film as well as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2s records ($169.2 million) for the highest weekend debut for a summer release, a 3D film, and of all-time. It also became the first film to gross $200 million in one weekend. The Avengers had the highest weekend debut of 2012. 19 $103,052,274 The Avengers broke Avatars record ($75.6 million) for the highest second weekend gross of all-time, and also became the first film to gross $100 million in its second weekend of release. 20 $55,644,102 The Avengers broke The Dark Knights record (27 days) for the fastest film to reach $450 million domestically. 21 Men in Black 3 $54,592,779 22 Snow White & the Huntsman $56,217,700 23 Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted $60,316,738 24 $34,055,474 25 Brave $66,323,594 26 Ted $54,415,205 Ted broke The Hangovers record ($45 million) for the highest weekend debut for an original R-rated comedy. 27 The Amazing Spider-Man $62,004,688 The Amazing Spider-Mans $35 million Tuesday gross broke Transformers record ($27.8 million) for the highest Tuesday gross of all time. 28 Ice Age: Continental Drift $46,629,259 29 The Dark Knight Rises $160,887,295 The Dark Knight Risess $2.3 million midnight gross in IMAX broke Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2s record ($2 million) for the highest midnight gross in IMAX. It also broke The Dark Knights record ($158.4 million) for the highest weekend debut for a non-3D film. 30 $62,101,451 31 $35,737,330 32 The Bourne Legacy $38,142,825 33 The Expendables 2 $28,591,370 34 $13,423,579 35 The Possession $17,732,480 36 $9,317,472 37 Resident Evil: Retribution $21,052,227 38 End of Watch $13,152,683 Initial estimates had End of Watch tied with House at the End of the Street. 39 Hotel Transylvania $42,522,194 Hotel Transylvania broke Sweet Home Alabamas record ($35.6 million) for the highest weekend debut in September. 40 Taken 2 $49,514,769 41 $21,873,127 42 Paranormal Activity 4 $29,003,866 43 Argo $12,085,059 Argo reached #1 in its third weekend of release. 44 Wreck-It Ralph $49,038,712 Wreck-It Ralph broke Tangleds record ($48.8 million) for the highest weekend debut for a Walt Disney Animation Studios film. 45 Skyfall $88,364,714 Skyfall broke Austin Powers in Goldmembers record ($73 million) for the highest weekend debut for a spy film. 46 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 $141,067,634 47 $43,641,448 48 $17,416,362 49 Skyfall $10,780,201 Skyfall reclaimed the #1 spot in its fifth weekend of release, making it the first film since How to Train Your Dragon to take the top spot in its fifth weekend. 50 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey $84,617,303 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey broke I Am Legends record ($77.2 million) for the highest weekend debut in December. 51 $36,888,365 52 $31,926,068

Highest-grossing films

Calendar Gross Highest-grossing films of 2012 by Calendar Gross Rank Title Studio(s) Actor(s) Director(s) Gross 1. The Avengers Walt Disney Studios Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson Joss Whedon $619,257,177 2. The Dark Knight Rises Warner Bros. Pictures Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Morgan Freeman Christopher Nolan $448,139,099 3. The Hunger Games Lionsgate Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland Gary Ross $408,010,692 4. Skyfall Columbia Pictures Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Bérénice Lim Marlohe, Albert Finney and Judi Dench Sam Mendes $288,704,271 5. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 Summit Entertainment Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Ashley Greene, Michael Sheen and Dakota Fanning Bill Condon $286,422,893 6. The Amazing Spider-Man Columbia Pictures Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen and Sally Field Marc Webb $261,569,291 7. Brave Walt Disney Studios voices of Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd and Craig Ferguson Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman $236,686,287 8. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Warner Bros. Pictures Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis Peter Jackson $228,546,604 9. Ted Universal Pictures Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane, Joel McHale and Giovanni Ribisi Seth MacFarlane $218,815,487 10. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted Paramount Pictures voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, Tom McGrath, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston, Martin Short and Frances McDormand Eric Darnell, Conrad Vernon and Tom McGrath $216,391,482

In-Year Release + Highest-grossing films of 2012 by In-year release Rank Title Distributor Domestic gross 1. The Avengers Disney $623,357,910 2. The Dark Knight Rises Warner Bros. $448,139,099 3. The Hunger Games Lionsgate $408,010,692 4. Skyfall Sony $304,360,277 5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Warner Bros. $303,003,568 6. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 Summit $292,324,737 7. The Amazing Spider-Man Sony $262,030,663 8. Brave Disney $237,283,207 9. Ted Universal $218,815,487 10. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted Paramount $216,391,482

+ Highest-grossing films by MPAA rating of 2012 G Beauty and the Beast (3-D Re-issue) PG Brave PG-13 The Avengers R Ted

See also List of American films — American films by year List of box office number-one films

References

Chronology