From Deadline:

1. Sherlock Holmes: Game Of Shadows (Warner Bros) NEW [3,703 Theaters]
Friday $16M, Estimated Weekend $42.4M

2. Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (Fox) NEW [3,723 Theaters]
Friday $7.1M, Estimated Weekend $25.8M

3. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol 3D (Paramount) NEW [425 Theaters]
Friday $4.6M, Estimated Weekend $12.1M

4. New Year’s Eve (Warner Bros) Week 2 [3,505 Theaters]
Friday $2.4M, Estimated Weekend $7.7M, Cume $25.2M)

5. Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (Summit) Week 5 [2,958 Theaters]
Friday $1.3M, Estimated Weekend $4.2M, Cume $266.4M

6. The Sitter (Fox) Week 2 [2,752 Theater]
Friday $1.3M, Estimated Weekend $3.9M, Cume $17.3M

7. Arthur Christmas 3D (Sony) Week 4 [2,929 Theater]
Friday $856K, Estimated Weekend $3.7M, Cume $38.7

8. Hugo 3D (Paramount) Week 4 [2,532 Theaters]
Friday $945K, Estimated Weekend $3.6M, Cume $39M

9. The Muppets (Disney) Week 4 [2,808 Theaters]
Friday $903K, Estimated Weekend $3.6M, Cume $71.1M

10. Young Adult (Paramount) Week 2 [986 theaters]
Friday $1.2K, Estimated Weekend $3.6M, Cume $4M

************************************************************

Very solid opening for M:I 4 considering the theater count. Not so hot for Holmes, though. That's off a good $20m from the first film, and with more big pictures opening next week it's going to need strong legs. Same with Alvin. I hope the slump of this year will get more original pictures pushed over remakes, prequels, sequels, threequels, fourquels and 3D.

IMAX tickets usually range from $15 - $20 a head, so it's no surprise that M:I-GP is killing it especially as it doesn't open in regular auditoriums until Wednesday.

As Deadline pointed out, the last Sherlock Holmes and Alvin and the Chipmunks both opened on Christmas Day or when children were already out of school. Most schools' last day of class was yesterday, others this coming week. I would say it has time to make up for the softer opening, but this holiday season seems to be more cluttered than past ones.

Yeah, both are the reasons for the difference in the haul for both movies.

Paramount probably has to think M:I4 is going to have a great week next week. The word of mouth is extremely high and maybe the sheep won't have a stick up their ass like they had in 2006.

Sherlock's soft opening can probably be partly blamed on last year's Christmas opening, but I still expected this to at least crack $50 mil or more. The first one was popular and the sequel looked like more of the same. It'll get a decent holiday bump next weekend, and then who knows what kind of legs it'll have. I think $150 mil is something WB can hope for now.

When dealing with series, openings will always be influenced by the quality of the last film. M:I3 was good, so M:I4 will do well.

I also think this is the most overstuffed goose of a holiday season in memory. Holmes or Tintin should have been released in the summer.

Tintin is going to be a tough sell whenever Paramount released it. Honestly, Paramount should've released it earlier this fall (like it did elsewhere in the world) or the beginning of 2012 (like say Feburary).

No way Paramount would dump a Spielberg film in Feb., but I agree it's a tough sell to US audiences no matter when it lands.

Seems to me MIx is the perfect sheep franchise.

wait.... they are releasing MI:4 in 3D?

Tintin and the Darkest Hour are gonna bomb BIG TIME.

I was really hoping the muppets would make it to 100 million, but now I don't see that happening.

It's because there are so many damn family/kids movies out now. I've never seen this many released at once or back to back. Had they released just two or maybe three in the span of 3-6 weeks, all would have probably done better. Because most got positive reviews. "Hugo" and "The Muppets" having the best.

Fox News is happy about that though

BOM

1 N Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows WB $40,020,000 - 3,703 - $10,807 $40,020,000 - 1
2 N Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked Fox $23,500,000 - 3,723 - $6,312 $23,500,000 $75 1
3 N Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Par. $13,000,000 - 425 - $30,588 $13,600,000 $140 1
4 1 New Year's Eve WB (NL) $7,420,000 -43.0% 3,505 - $2,117 $24,826,000 $56 2
5 2 The Sitter Fox $4,400,000 -55.3% 2,752 +2 $1,599 $17,721,000 $25 2
6 3 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 Sum. $4,300,000 -45.0% 2,958 -646 $1,454 $266,400,000 $110 5
7 18 Young Adult Par. $3,650,000 +1,076.4% 986 +978 $3,702 $4,090,000 $12 2
8 6 Hugo Par. $3,625,000 -40.1% 2,532 -76 $1,432 $39,073,000 - 4
9 5 Arthur Christmas Sony $3,600,000 -44.7% 2,929 -343 $1,229 $38,547,000 - 4
10 4 The Muppets BV $3,454,000 -50.5% 2,808 -520 $1,230 $70,928,000 $45 4
11 7 The Descendants FoxS $3,350,000 -23.5% 878 +2 $3,815 $28,728,000 - 5
12 9 Jack and Jill Sony $1,225,000 -60.3% 1,910 -877 $641 $70,503,000 $79 6
13 8 Happy Feet Two WB $1,045,000 -71.7% 1,780 -1,060 $587 $58,878,000 - 5
14 11 Tower Heist Uni. $894,000 -62.1% 1,315 -754 $680 $75,782,000 $75 7
15 10 Immortals Rela. $832,000 -66.2% 1,210 -1,076 $688 $81,870,000 $75 6
16 14 My Week with Marilyn Wein. $586,000 -25.0% 244 - $2,402 $6,082,000 - 4

Tintin is already a global box office success with $239 million and counting, and it's not even open in many countries yet. Of course that doesn't mean anything to the American-centric audience who also called "Troy" a bomb even thought it made $364 million oveseas.

And The Golden Compass which made $302 million overseas on a budget of 180 million, but only 70 million in America. If something doesn't do well in America it doesn't matter how well it did overseas.

And Tintin is going to bomb here. Is anyone even excited for it?

I am.

Yeah I'm sure the BILLION+ dollars the last Pirates film made worldwide means nothing because it "only" made like $230m stateside...

Did you actually read what I posted?

Well, even if you did, you certainly didn't understand it.

Here, I'll highlight the pertinent points for you. Let me know if you still can't understand and I'll draw up some pictures.

There, do you understand now?

New Line shouldn't have released A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas so early. If they released it around Thanksgiving I'm betting it would be in the top ten still.

Big time, here.

Completely. You need a break from the Internet son.

I don't quite understand. Are you stating that American $$$ grosses are the only way they seem to be analyzed in determining success, or that they are all that matters? I honestly don't think studios only consider American B.O. or the Pirates movies would have ceased with III.

I am very much looking forward to this, and doesn't matter how exactly?