Rogue One takes $64M over New Year weekend to become the US's second highest grossing film of 2016... as Disney sweeps year-end top three

• e-mail

Magic and happiness are supposed to be the company's watchwords.

But Disney have a science fiction war movie and a superhero battle royal to thank for helping it dominate the 2016 US box office.

Star Wars spin-off Rogue One was integral to the result, secured the position of second highest grossing film of the year after raking in a projected $64 million over the four-day holiday weekend.

An Imperial March to the top: Rogue One yet again topped the North America box office charts

 The result saw the Gareth Edwards directed picture top the charts for the third week in a row.

It came as it emerged the North American movie box office raked in $11.4 billion in 2016, making it the highest-earning year in history, according to box office tracker comScore.

Big hit: It has secured the spot for the second highest grossing film of 2016

Last year's total eclipsed the previous record of $11.14 billion in 2015.

Rogue One came second to Pixar sequel Finding Dory, which made $486.3 million in sales in the United States and Canada, though it may be eclipsed by its fellow Disney film by the end of its run.

The media giants had six of top 10 grossing movies in 2016 and all of the top three, with Captain America: Civil War, which took in $408 million, rounding off the hat trick.

Interestingly all three films were made by acquired divisions - Pixar, Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios respectively.

The last time the feat was achieved was 1974, when Warner Bros scored big with Blazing Saddles, The Towering Inferno and The Trial of Billy Jack, though one was a co-production.

It became the first studio to earn more than $7 billion in a single year, fielded four of the five top grossing releases in the States, and is expected to see four of its films make more than $1 billion worldwide.

ComScore's senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian said: 'Forgetful fish, super-heroes, household pets and space travelers led the charge in a year that was marked by an incredibly diverse selection of films from every genre and of every size and scope from all the studios.'

Ray of sunshine: Pixar's Finding Dory was the highest grossing film of 2017

Just super: Captain America: Civil War helped Disney sweep the year's top three film spots

But while the 2016 North American record-breaking box office haul of $11.4 billion is slightly higher than 2015’s $11.13 billion, this seems to be down to increased ticket prices instead of higher attendances.

Rogue One was only released on December 16 and is continuing to rake huge amounts at cinemas.

Illumination Entertainment and Universal collaboration Sing is set to rake in $53.7 million over the four-day holiday weekend, and has now made $177.3 million stateside. 

It is more good news for the Illumination, as they had a hit with last summer's The Secret Life of Pets.

There was less good news for Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony, as its film Passengers continued to flop with an expected take of just $20.7 million.

It is another body blow for the science fiction romance film, which has been panned by critics and shunned by audiences, despite featuring the star power of Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence.

Music to their ears: Illumination's Sing was the second highest grossing film of the week 

Lost in space: Jennifer Lawrence vehicle Passengers continued to flop at the box office

Its total domestic haul stands at just $61.4 million, while it cost $110 million to make, with millions more spent in promotion.

Another film performing way under par is Fox flop Assassin's Creed, which is set to make just $10 million for the holiday, and has earned just $41 million since opening over Christmas

It is the latest video game adaptation to perform dismally at cinemas, following in the footsteps as such dire fare as Warcraft, Prince of Persia, Street Fighter and Super Mario Bros.

At least the studio is having more luck with Why Him?, a James Franco-led R-rated comedy that is set to pull in $13 million over the four day holiday. 

Dying a death: Michael Fassbender's Assassin's Creed continues to struggle

Cranston's pickle: Bryan scored a hit alongside James Franco with Why Him?

The film tells the story of a father played by Bryan Cranston and his rivalry with his daughter's undesirable fiancee. Since it only cost $38M to make and has already made $37.6 million, it could make a decent return in coming weeks. 

Bubbling just under the top five was Paramount picture Fences, which both stars and was directed by Denzel Washington.

On the back of good reviews it pulled in an estimated $13 million, and has made $32.7 million since debuting three weeks ago in limited release, already more than its reasonable $24 million budget.

Swinging for the Fences: The Denzel Washington vehicle has already remade its budget