Despite an R rating and glum subject matter, the true military story powers to a convincing win at theaters. 
 
 "Lone Survivor" was alone at the top of the box office in its opening weekend. (Photo: Universal Pictures) Story Highlights True military story doubles forecasts 
 
 Film plays on patriotic themes 
 
 'Hercules' provest to be a wimp at theaters 
 
 Hercules was no match for Navy SEALs as Lone Survivor powered to a surprisingly lopsided win at the box office this weekend. 
 
 The true story of a military mission gone awry collected $38.5 million, according to studio estimates from box office trackers Rentrak. 
 
 While the movie opened in limited release on Christmas Day, the Mark Wahlberg drama did twice what most analysts expected. The movie has collected $38.9 million overall. 
 
 MORE: The weekend's top 10 films 
 
 Despite an R rating and a story based on a failed 2005 mission that left 19 U.S. casualties, Survivor played particularly well in the heartland with a patriotic ad campaign, say analysts. 
 
 "Instead of focusing on the downer of a story, Universal's marketing has played up the movie's themes of courage and brotherhood," says Ray Subers, analyst for Box Office Mojo. 
 
 Critics and fans signed up for the mission. Survivor earned a 73% approval rating from the nation's reviewers and a thumbs-up from 86% of moviegoers, says pollsters Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by Peter Berg, the movie earned a collective grade of A-plus from fans, according to CinemaScore. 
 
 The debut was enough for an easy win at the box office and bump Frozen from the top spot. The Disney animated comedy did $15.1 million and second place. 
 
 Leonardo DiCaprio's The Wolf of Wall Street was third with $9 million. 
 
 The only major newcomer of the weekend, The Legend of Hercules, mustered a wimpy $8.6 million, below its modest forecast of $12 million. 
 
 The film tied with American Hustle, which also claimed $8.6 million. 
 
 Final figures are due Monday. 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1eNi8Dc ||||| Looks like January man Mark Wahlberg is going to score his biggest opening yet for the wintery month. The actor’s war drama Lone Survivor, based on the true story of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, earned an estimated $14.4 million Friday for a likely three-day take in the $35 million to $40 million range. With an A+ Cinemascore and drawing both male and female audiences, the Peter Berg-directed movie is destined to be the first big hit of 2014. 
 
 Another newcomer, the testosterone-fueled pic The Legend of Hercules, didn’t fare nearly as well. Starring Kellan Lutz (Twilight) as the mythical Greek hero, Hercules generated an estimated $3.08 million Friday. That should put the Renny Harlin-directed piece in third place with a weekend that may not reach the double-digits. 
 
 Rounding out the rest of the top five are Disney’s Frozen with an additional $3.1 million Friday for a likely $15 million weekend and an overall cume north of $305 million. Oscar contenders The Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle are set to take over the third and fourth slots for the frame. The three-hour Wolf from director Martin Scorsese earned an estimated $2.7 million Friday for an estimated $9 million grab for the weekend. That will push its total to $72.3 million, while David O. Russell’s swinging ’70s caper Hustle nabbed an estimated $2.6 million Friday, putting its weekend also around $9 million and its total earnings at a bit over $95 million. 
 
 
 
 Other films of note include Weinstein Co.’s August: Osage County, which expanded to 905 theaters and earned an estimated $2.2 million for a weekend total that could reach around $7.5 million. Warner Bros.’ Her saw an expansion into an additional 1,600 theaters, yet the Spike Jonze-directed flick earned only an estimated $1.8 million Friday for a weekend that might not exceed much more than $5 million. 
 
 The top five: 
 
 1. Lone Survivor – $14.4 million 
 
 2. Frozen – $3.1 million 
 
 3. The Legend of Hercules — $3.08 million 
 
 4. The Wolf of Wall Street – $2.7 million 
 
 5. American Hustle – $2.6 million 
 
 Check back to EW.com tomorrow for the full box office report ||||| by Brad Brevet 
 
 Jan. 20 - Universal and Blumhouse's Glass was unable to quite reach the lofty heights some had expected heading into the weekend, but the film still managed a solid #1 start, playing very similarly to its predecessor based on current estimates. Glass, however, might not be the biggest news of the weekend when you consider the monster debut of FUNimation's Dragon Ball Super: Broly, which is looking at a possible third place finish based on early estimates. ||||| Box Office: 'Lone Survivor' Victorious With $38.5 Million Debut 
 
 UPDATED: "Frozen" sails past the $700 million mark globally, while "The Legend of Hercules" shows no muscle; "August: Osage County" beats "Her." 
 
 Winning over the minds and hearts of moviegoers in America's heartland, Peter Berg's Navy SEALs drama Lone Survivor opened to a huge $38.5 million in North America, far more than expected and the best showing of any post-9/11 war film. 
 
 The patriotic-themed pic, earning a coveted A+ CinemaScore, boasts the second-best debut of all time for the month of January after Cloverfield ($40.1 million). Lone Survivor was strongest in flyover states, led by Texas (as expected, Canada was weak). The film's cume is $38.9 million when accounting for its exclusive awards qualifying run in New York and Los Angeles. 
 
 Starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster, Lone Survivor is based on Marcus Luttrell's memoir about four SEALs sent on a dangerous mission to Afghanistan. (Wahlberg plays Luttrell.) Universal is releasing Lone Survivor domestically and in select foreign markets. Emmett/Furla Films produced the $40 million pic, which was financed in part by embattled Envision Films. 
 
 THR COVER: Mark Wahlberg on 'Entourage' Cast Apology, Wish to Own a Studio 
 
 "It's a great story about patriotism, survival and heroism, and incredible courage. It worked well everywhere, but Middle America really, really responded. The publicity and marketing effort was amazing, including supporting Marcus in reaching out everywhere to tell his story. Pete and Mark were everywhere, too," said Universal domestic marketing chief Nikki Rocco. 
 
 Lone Survivor marks a comeback for Berg after his pricey miss Battleship. 
 
 Disney's holdover Frozen fell to No. 2 with roughly $15 million, pushing its domestic total to north of $317 million. The tentpole, with an international cume of $394.6 million, sailed past the $700 million mark worldwide to end the weekend with $712.2 million in total ticket sales. For the first time, Frozen topped the weekend foreign chart, taking in $25.8 million. 
 
 Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street did pleasing business in its third weekend, grossing $9 million for a domestic total of $78.6 million. Placing No. 3, the controversial film continues to do best on both coasts. 
 
 Millennium Films' new entry The Legend of Hercules followed with a weak $8.6 million, tying with holdover American Hustle for No. 4. 
 
 Distributed by Summit Entertainment, Hercules needed to do more considering its $70 million production budget. The epic, directed by Renny Harlin, receiving a lukewarm B- CinemaScore, is the first of two Hercules pics slotted for 2014. 
 
 American Hustle, from director David O. Russell, also remained strong as it crossed the $100 million mark in North America, ending its fourth weekend in nationwide release with a cume of $101.6 million. 
 
 STORY: The 20 Most Profitable Films of 2013 
 
 A number of award contenders expanding on the eve of Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony, including John Wells' August: Osage County and Spike Jonze's Her, both of which are now playing nationwide. In addition to benefiting from any Globe wins, contenders also wanted to have an increased profile when Oscar nominations are announced Jan. 16. 
 
 Osage County outperformed expectations, grossing $7.3 million to come in No. 7. The dysfunctional family drama, from The Weinstein Co., bested Her despite playing in far fewer theaters (905 versus 1,729). Similar to Lone Survivor, Osage County was fueled by a strong turnout in America's heartland. The adaptation of Tracy Letts' play pairs Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts for the first time. 
 
 "The success of the film clearly speaks to the popularity of Meryl and Julia," said TWC distribution chief Erik Lomis. "People are judging it on its own merits, whether or not they have seen the play." 
 
 Disney's awards hopeful Saving Mr. Banks placed No. 8, earning $6.6 million in its fourth weekend in nationwide release for a domestic total of $68.9 million. 
 
 Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson, grossed a soft $5.4 million to come in No. 11. 
 
 "We had a very deliberate rollout strategy. Our strategy was to open nationwide before Academy Award nominations were announced so that we could pick up steam. This isn't about today's particular result, it's about feeding the film for upcoming weeks," said Warner Bros.' Jeff Goldstein, whose team also intends to up Gravity's theater count next weekend following Oscar nominations. 
 
 Among other award titles up for top awards at Sunday's Globes ceremony, Joel and Ethan Coen's Inside Llewyn Davis and Alexander Payne's Nebraska made their biggest push yet, although they aren't yet playing nationwide. 
 
 Llewyn Davis, released by CBS Films domestically, upped its theater count to a total of 729 locations, grossing $1.9 million for a domestic total of $9.3 million, surpassing the entire lifetime gross of the Coen's A Serious Man ($9.2 million). 
 
 Nebraska, expanding into a total of 521 theaters, grossed $8.1 million for a domestic total of $8.1 million for Paramount. 
 
 Elsewhere, the weekend wasn't a total wash for Warner Bros. as Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug crossed $800 million worldwide as it winds down. The sequel, however, won't likely match the $1 billion-plus earned globally by last year's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Desolation of Smaug has taken in $242.2 million domestically, where it is pacing behind the first film, and $566 million overseas for a total $808.2 million. 
 
 Desolation of Smaug has yet to open in China and Japan, where the first film collectively grossed roughly $70 million. 
 
 The big headline in China over the weekend was Universal's Despicable Me 2, which opened to stellar $13.8 million, the third-best opening of all time for an animated film after Kung Fu Panda ($16.2 million) and Ice Age: Continental Drift ($19.4 million). Universal said the debut was particularly noteworthy since the first Despicable Me didn't play in China. The sequel's worldwide total is now $935.1 million.
– Lone Survivor shocked Hollywood this weekend with a blistering $38.9 million debut—the best of any war film since 9/11, says the Hollywood Reporter. Analysts tell USA Today that the Mark Wahlberg drama, about a US military mission gone wrong, fared well in the heartland thanks to a patriotic ad campaign. "Instead of focusing on the downer of a story, Universal's marketing has played up the movie's themes of courage and brotherhood," says an expert from Box Office Mojo. Filling out the top five are Frozen ($15.1 million), The Wolf of Wall Street ($9 million), newcomer The Legend of Hercules and American Hustle (both $8.6 million). Meanwhile the darkly comedic August: Osage County, starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, expanded to 905 screens for about $2.2 million, Entertainment Weekly reports. "The success of the film clearly speaks to the popularity of Meryl and Julia," said a Weinstein Company executive. The well-reviewed Her, about a writer who falls for his computer's operating system, grew to an extra 1,600 theaters and banked a soft $5 million. "This isn't about today's particular result, it's about feeding the film for upcoming weeks," said a Warner Bros. executive about the company's Oscar strategy.