With six new wide releases and two strong holdovers over the Christmas holiday weekend, there was bound to be some box office disappointments. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol [MISS4] was not one of them. The fourth film in the Tom Cruis action franchise earned an estimated $46.2 million over the 4-day weeekend to lead the box office. The film has banked $78.6 million since opening first on IMAX last weekend.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows [HOLM2] dropped down to second with $31.8 million while Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked [ALVN3] finished third at $20.0 million in their second weekend.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [TGRLW] debuted to a disappointing fourth place with just $19.4 million. The thriller has booked $27.8 million since opening late Tuesday night.
The Adventures of Tintin [TINTN] also bombed at $16.1 million for fifth place. The animated film has drawn $24.1 million since opening on Wednesday.
We Bought a Zoo [WBZOO] admitted $15.6 million over the 4-day weekend to take the sixth spot.
As for the two films opening on Sunday, War Horse [WHORS] collected $15.0 million while The Darkest Hour [DRKHR] nabbed $5.5 million.
| Rank | Title | Weekend | Total |
| 1 | Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol | 46,210,000 | 78,645,359 |
| 2 | Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows | 31,810,000 | 90,563,622 |
| 3 | Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked | 20,000,000 | 56,940,187 |
| 4 | Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The | 19,400,000 | 27,776,473 |
| 5 | Adventures Of Tintin, The | 16,100,000 | 24,107,020 |
| 6 | We Bought A Zoo | 15,600,000 | 15,600,000 |
| 7 | War Horse | 15,025,000 | 15,025,000 |
| 8 | Darkest Hour, The | 5,500,000 | 5,500,000 |
| 9 | New Year's Eve | 4,950,000 | 34,287,195 |
| 10 | Descendants, The | 3,425,000 | 33,716,552 |
| 11 | Muppets, The | 3,355,000 | 76,911,525 |
| 12 | Hugo | 3,300,000 | 44,927,413 |
Tag(s): MISS4, HOLM2, ALVN3, TGRLW, TINTN, WBZOO, WHORS, DRKHR