Fantasy blockbuster "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" ruled the North American box office this weekend, holding off a strong festive season challenge from Disney's animated musical "Frozen," estimates showed Sunday.

The second part of Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson's trilogy of films, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved classic, earned almost $29.9 million over the weekend, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Despite a string of summertime flops, Hollywood is expected to have a banner year at the domestic box office, coming in just shy of $11 billion, the largest annual take ever. But because of higher ticket prices, actual attendance at North American theaters remained flat after a decade of decline.

With the current domestic box-office tally nearly 1 percent ahead of last year at this time, 2013 could surpass 2012's overall haul of $10.8 billion by more than $100 million, according to box-office tracker Rentrak.

Britney Spears began her two-year residency at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on Friday night, just in time to catch the town's massive New Year's Eve crowds.

The audience stayed on its feet for the entire 90 minute show, dancing to airbrushed versions of the 32-yer-old Spears' top hits, including "Toxic" and "I'm A Slave 4 U."

Oscar voters, start your ballots.

Voting began Friday for 2014's Academy Awards nominees. Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences were invited to cast secret ballots for their favorite film work from the past year until Jan. 8, 2014.

In the old days, filmmakers flocked to Hollywood for its abundant sunshine, beautiful people and sandy beaches. But today a new filmmaking diaspora is spreading across the globe to places like Vancouver, London and Wellington, New Zealand.

Fueled by politicians doling out generous tax breaks, filmmaking talent is migrating to where the money is. The result is an incentives arms race that pits California against governments around the world and allows powerful studios —with hundreds of millions of dollars at their disposal— to cherry-pick the best deals.

Jet Li says he's being treated for an overactive thyroid, but he's determined to fight the condition head-on.

The Chinese action star known for his kung fu skills discussed his diagnosis during the taping of a talent show he's judging in China.

Everyone is in Bruno Mars' ear about one thing when it comes to performing the Super Bowl halftime show: How will you deal with the freezing cold?

"Everyone's putting the fear of god in me like there's going to be a blizzard," Mars said in a phone interview this month from Los Angeles, asking about the weather conditions in the New York-New Jersey area for his "research."

A trio of Israeli stage actors is refusing to perform in an acclaimed play before a theater in a West Bank Jewish settlement, part of a burgeoning domestic movement against the government's settlement policies.

The protest mirrors a global movement against the settlements that has put Israel's government in an increasingly difficult situation as the current round of peace talks with the Palestinians continues.

Written by Anthony Sargon

The Scorsese-DiCaprio teamup has resulted in quite a few good films over the last few years, and “The Wolf of Wall Street” is no exception. In fact, it may be the pair’s greatest film yet. Rejoice, film fans, because this is one wolf that packs a mean bite.

Written by Anthony Sargon

The legend of the 47 Ronin is known around the world. It’s an incredible story of courage and sacrifice, and it definitely deserves the big-screen treatment. Unfortunately, “47 Ronin” is not the movie this story deserves, and ends up being one of the year’s worst releases.