It was the end of the world as we may soon know it, and that had Sony feeling fine.

The premiere of Roland Emmerich’s latest disaster film, 2012, erupted in theaters this weekend with a $65.2 million finish. Although the movie fell short of 2004’s The Day After Tomorrow (that Emmerich project grossed $68.7 million over three days), it now ranks 5th on the international debuts list. (Sorry, Da Vinci Code.) The John Cusack starrer also managed to cover its reported $200 million budget in one week.

Meawhile, Precious continued to pound the pavement in an expanded release. With only 174 engagements, the critically-acclaimed movie earned itself a third place finish and a $33,762-per screen average.

1. 2012, Sony, $65,237,614 (avg. $19,165)
2. Disney’s A Christmas Carol, Disney, $22,308,913 (avg. $6057)
3. Precious, Lionsgate, $5,874,628 (avg. $33,762)
4. The Men Who Stare at Goats, Overture Films, $5,861,753 (avg. $2390)
5. Michael Jackson’s This Is It, Sony, $5,078,920 (avg. $1672)
6. The Fourth Kind, Universal, $4,605,365 (avg. $1820)
7. Couples Retreat, Universal, $4,164,940 (avg. $1660)
8. Paranormal Activity, Paramount, $4,043,417 (avg. $1491)
9. Law Abiding Citizen, Overture Films, $3,796,327 (avg. $1833)
10. The Box, Warner Bros., $3,158,368 (avg. $1199)

(You can review last week’s numbers here.)