The Sherlock Holmes sequel, which reunites director Guy Ritchie with stars Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, opened in first place to an estimated $40.02 million. That's certainly not a terrible figure, but Warner Bros was doubtless hoping for a more vigorous debut. In 2009, the first action-oriented take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective opened in second place, earning $62.3 million in the Christmas weekend. The film was well received by audiences and the sequel seemed primed to open bigger.
It's too early to count A Game of Shadows out, but comparing it to the same weekend last year is dispiriting. Specifically, the fact that TRON: Legacy opened to $44 million in first place. Naturally, one would expect a nascent franchise with the momentum of Sherlock Holmes to outpace a resurrection of an almost thirty-year old property.
Two years ago, the first Sherlock Holmes's second-place opening was couched between the unstoppable Avatar and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, a follow-up to 2007's surprising successful Alvin and the Chipmunks. The third installment in that rather improbable theatrical series pulled in an estimated $23.5 million. Just as Warner Bros sought to repeat its action film's success by giving it just a bit more room before Christmas, 20th Century Fox opened Alvin and the Chipmunks: ChipWrecked bowed this weekend. Similarly, Chipwrecked pulled in a smaller haul than either of the entries preceding it, with The Squeakquel debuting to $48.8 million and the first Chipmunks earning $44.3 million.
Not a lot of good news in the top two, but in third place we have Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, the third sequel to 1996's Mission: Impossible. In advance of a wide release starting December 21st, Paramount Pictures gave the latest adventure of Ethan Hunt a head start with an almost exclusively IMAX limited release at 425 locations. With those inflated ticket prices and high attendance, Ghost Protocol opened to an estimated $13.0 million. For perspective, the number one and two films are both playing on over 3,700 screens. That means the sequel had a rock-solid $30,000 per-screen average.
Some would argue that Ghost Protocol was bolstered substantially by the much heralded six-minute opening sequence from The Dark Knight Rises, and while there doubtless some folks who showed up for that bane-centic number, it was only available in several dozen 70mm locations. More likely, the uniformly positive reviews and a desire to see Tom Cruise in a simple, straightforward espionage film led to the strong showing for director Brad Bird's live-action debut. We'll see how that sequel holds up when it opens wide against The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Young Adult, the latest collaboration between director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody, expanded to almost 1,000 theaters and earned $3.65 million in seventh place. The dark comedy starring Charlize Theron should prove to have legs, expanding over the next several weeks.
And here are the top ten movies in America over the weekend, according to estimates:
1. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows $40.0 million New Release
2. Alvin and the Chipmunks: ChipWrecked $23.5 million New Release
3. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol $13.0 million New Release
4. New Year's Eve $7.4 million $24.8 million
5. The Sitter $4.4 million $17.7 million
6. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn $4.3 million $266.4 million
7. Young Adult $3.65 million $4.1 million
8. Hugo $3.62 million $39.0 million
9. Arthur Christmas $3.60 million $38.5 million
10. The Muppets $3.4 million $70.9 million
Wednesday sees the wide releases for Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, The Adventures of Tintin, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
