NEW YORK — On a busy pre-Christmas weekend at the box office, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” held off a very different sequel, “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.”

The much-marketed “Anchorman 2” actually outperformed “The Hobbit” on Friday, but failed to best it over Saturday and Sunday. But the $50 million comedy, which Paramount initially turned down, also suggested it will be more popular abroad than most comedies. It made $13.4 million in six international markets. The 2004 original opened with $28.4 million, but only grossed $5.3 million internationally.

The pre-Christmas weekend is a sought-after release date, one that usually offers films especially good legs at the box office as moviegoers flood theaters over the coming weeks. The weekend box office was up nearly 30 percent over the same weekend last year.

But this year’s holiday frame will be particularly competitive. The crowded field of movie openings Wednesday includes Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street,” Ben Stiller’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” the Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone comedy “Grudge Match,” and the Justin Bieber documentary “Justin Bieber’s Believe.”

One casualty from the many options was “Walking With Dinosaurs,” a 3-D attraction that hoped to draw moviegoers with digital dinosaurs. Made for $85 million, it fell flat with just $7.3 million on the weekend. The family market has instead been cornered by Disney’s animated “Frozen,” which added $19.2 million over the weekend.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, were:

1. “Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” $31.5 million

2. “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues,” $26.8 million

3. “Frozen,” $19.2 million

4. “American Hustle,” $19.1 million.

5. “Saving Mr. Banks,” $9.3 million

6. “Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” $8.8 million

7. “Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas,” $8.5 million.

8. “Walking With Dinosaurs,” $7.3 million

9. “Dhoom 3,” $3.3 million

10. “Thor: The Dark World,” $1.3 million.

By The Associated Press