"Les Miserables," starring Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman, is riding a wave of awards buzz.
(Credit: Universal)
Two Christmas Day openers enjoyed a good holiday as Les Misérables and Django Unchained scored strong opening days.
The musical, starring Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway, took in a healthy $18.1 million, according to studio estimates.
Django, Quentin Tarantino's spaghetti Western, also enjoyed a holiday bounty, raking in $15 million.
The strong starts could help both movies with awards momentum, which can build quickly after a healthy debut with the public.
Both films claimed spots in the record books as Les Misérables and Django Unchained scored the second- and third-highest Christmas Day openings on record, respectively.
Sherlock Holmes holds the all-time record; it collected $24.6 million on Christmas Day 2009.
