The film nabbed first place with $24 million in its first weekend in wide release. It earned five Oscar nominations last week, including nods for best picture, best original screenplay and best actress for Jessica Chastain as a dogged CIA operative.
The horror parody "A Haunted House" starring Marlon Wayans debuted in second place with a solid $18.8 million. "Gangster Squad," starring Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling and Sean Penn, opened below expectations in third place with $16.7 million.
"Django Unchained" came in at No. 4 with $11 million and "Les Miserables" rounded out the top five with $10.1 million.
The top 10 films of the weekend were:
1. "Zero Dark Thirty," $24 million2. "A Haunted House," $18.8 million
3. "Gangster Squad," $16.7 million
4. "Django Unchained," $11 million
5. "Les Miserables," $10.1 million
6. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," $9 million
7. "Lincoln," $6.3 million
8. "Parental Guidance," $6.1 million
9. "Texas Chainsaw 3-D," $5.1 million
10. "Silver Linings Playbook," $5 million
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
