Sherlock Holmes, Chipmunks Sequels Underwhelm at Box Office
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Sequels ruled the box office over the weekend, with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked and Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol securing the top 3 spots, Box Office Mojo reports.
Guy Ritchie's Holmes follow-up starring Robert Downey Jr. grossed an estimated $40 million in its opening weekend. In comparison, its predecessor — released on Christmas weekend in 2009 — opened at $62.3 million.
Chipwrecked may have snagged the No. 2 spot, but it only grossed some $23.5 million, less than half of 2009's The Squeakquel, the second film in the Chipmunks franchise.
New Year's Eve attracts few partygoers at the Box Office
It's been nearly 15 years since the first Mission: Impossible reboot, but the fourth installment proves the film still has appeal. At No. 3, Ghost Protocol opened at just 425 locations, yet managed to rake in $13 million during its opening weekend. Its per-screen average nearly tripled the Holmes sequel's.
Even New Year's Eve's star-studded cast couldn't save the romantic comedy — it plummeted 43 percent from its opening weekend, grossing about $7.4 million in the No. 4 spot. Also seeing a significant drop: The Sitter, starring Jonah Hill, at No. 5 ($4.4 million).
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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 pulled in $4.3 million at No. 6, bring its five-week total to $266.4 million, and Young Adult, starring Charlize Theron, attracted $3.7 million to secure seventh place in its second week.
Rounding out the top 10: Hugo (No. 8, $3.6 million), Arthur Christmas (No. 9, $3.6 million), and The Muppets (No. 10, $3.5 million).