<em>The Hobbit</em> towers over the competition at the box office for 3rd weekend

New York - Hollywood kicked off the New Year on a positive note, with three films vying closely for the weekend box office title that nevertheless remained with The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies for the third straight week

The first weekend of 2015 gave Hollywood the chance to begin turning the page on a rough 2014 in which box office revenue slid 5% and attendance dropped to its lowest level in nearly 20 years. With a closely contested weekend at the multiplexes, overall business was strong, up 5.5% from the same weekend last year, according to box office firm Rentrak.

Check out the trailer of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies:

In its second week of limited release, Sony Pictures' controversial The Interview, depicting the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, earned an estimated $1.1m theatrically. A representative for Sony said digital figures likely wouldn't be announced on Sunday.

Here are some Twitter reviews from people who have already seen the film, The Interview:

I have to admit, #TheInterview was a pretty good flick to end the holiday break with.

— Greg Stewart (@masonictraveler) January 5, 2015

LOVE that Dave Skylark's book was subtitled "An Unexpected Journey" subtle & hilarious! @JamesFrancoTV @TheInterview #Hobbit #TheInterview

— Felicia Thomas ? (@ItsFel_Duhh) January 5, 2015

In its first four days of online streaming and sale, The Interview made $15m, Sony said last week. Since then, the film has expanded to video-on-demand via cable operators and on more digital platforms like Apple's iTunes.

Several Oscar contenders began to attract larger numbers of moviegoers, as Hollywood's awards season picks up stream. The Golden Globes are Sunday, 11 January.

Here are the top 10 films at the box office:

1. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - $21.9m, $52.5m

2. Into the Woods - $19.1m, $1m international.

3. Unbroken - $18.4m, $2.3m internationally

4. The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death - $15.1m, $3.5m international.

5. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb - $14.5m $26m international.

6. Annie $11.4m, $4.2m international.

7. The Imitation Game - $8.1m, $6.5m international.

8. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 - $7.7m, $5.3m international.

9. The Gambler- $6.3m.

10. Big Hero 6 - $4.8m, $20.2m international.