Overcoming much negative pre-release criticism and showing the public’s rising interest in apocalyptic story lines in movies and television fare, 2012 finished tops at the U.S. box office over the weekend with an impressive $65 million in North American ticket sales.

That was actually $3 million less than 2012 director Roland Emmerich’s 2004 disaster film, The Day After Tomorrow, brought in during its opening weekend, but it’s a very good start and shows audiences’ strong interest in apocalyptic story lines. Read more here.