Due at least partially to a wonky schedule last week that made the official weekend look less robust, attendance for the top 14 movies were all up from last weekend. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol added seven theaters for a 6% boost, taking in an estimated $31.2 million since Friday. After Mission: Impossible III marked a commercial low for the franchise back in 2006, plenty of people concluded that Tom Cruise's overexposure defeated his signature series. After 17 days in theaters, Ghost Protocol has just barely surpassed M:I III's $134.01 domestic gross with a total of $134.2 million so far.
On Sunday, the fourth Mission: Impossible is estimated to have edged out Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows as the biggest December release. Domestically, Ghost Protocol is likely to match or exceed the $180 million gross of the first entry back in 1996, though it probably won't reach the franchise high of Mission: Impossible II's $215 million haul. Globally, the first live-action feature from Brad Bird has brought in another $221.3 million. Combined with its domestic total, that's $362.5 million so far.
Sherlock Holmes, meanwhile, increased by 9.1% from last weekend. The sequel earned an estimated $22.0 million in second place and brought its total up to $132.1 million. When the film debuted before Christmas, it looked surprisingly sluggish compared to its 2009 predecessor. The film has held well since then, though, and won't look too bad once all is said and done. At the same point in its theatrical run, the first Sherlock Holmes had grossed $165.1 million, and A Game of Shadows won't be matching its $209 million domestic total.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: ChipWrecked hopped up a whopping 45% from last week, adding an estimated $18.2 million for a $94.6 million total. The third entry in the Alvin and the Chipmunks juggernaut proved to be the default family movie over the last few days. The film will doubtless cross the $100 million mark during this week, but it's unlikely that it will reach the delirious highs of the two previous films, which earned $217 million and $219 million.
War Horse debuted last Sunday, making its 125% increase look a whole lot more dramatic than it really is. Of the two Steven Spielberg movies currently in release, this one is definitely faring better, having grossed a $16.9 million estimate. With the film playing in an added 171 theaters, it brought its total so far to $42.9 million.
The other Spielberg feature, The Adventures of Tintin, is down in seventh place, having earned an estimated $12.0 million for $47.8 million since December 21st. Attendance increased 23.6%, but a 3D motion-capture movie from Spielberg with positive reviews isn't quite the success you'd expect it to be. Herge's character has never been a fixture of American popular culture, though, and The Adventures of Tintin was not expected to be a big smash Stateside. Internationally, the film has brought in $239.1 million.
Just behind War Horse is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, David Fincher's adaptation of the novel by Stieg Larsson. The much-hyped film brought in another $16.3 million for $57.1 million so far. That's a bump of 27.8% from the rather odd Christmas weekend. After a distinctive and awesome marketing campaign, one gets the impression that The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is being seen mostly by fans of the novel. Still, it's not exactly the season for dark thrillers involving some serious violence.
After seeing the formula work out for Valentine's Day, Warner Bros went ahead with the follow-up, New Year's Eve, which opened below expectations earlier this month. What with the titular holiday finally arriving and all, the ensemble romantic comedy ballooned 107% from last weekend, adding an estimated $6.7 million for a total of $46.3 million. With the holiday in the books, expect New Year's Eve to drop precipitously.
Okay, here are the top ten for the New Year holiday weekend:
1. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol $31.2 million $134.1 million
2. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows $22.0 million $132.1 million
3. Alvin and the Chipmunks: ChipWrecked $18.2 million $94.6 million
4. War Horse $16.9 million $42.9 million
5. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo $16.3 million $57.1 million
6. We Bought a Zoo $14.3 million $41.7 million
7. The Adventures of Tintin $12.0 million $47.8 million
8. New Year's Eve $6.7 million $46.3 million
9. The Darkest Hour $4.3 million $13.2 million
10. The Descendants $3.6 million $39.6 million
The only wide release coming up in the next weekend is the horror movie The Devil Inside, so expect Ghost Protocol to once again reign supreme.
