My Blog: 'Mission: Impossible' Still #1 In 2012

'Ghost Protocol,' the fourth 'M:I' movie, made $134 million in 17 days.
By Ryan J. Downey

Tom Cruise in "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol"
Photo: Paramount Pictures

Tom Cruise's domination of the holidays continued as "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" remained the #1 movie at the box office, taking in $31.3 million over the New Year's weekend. The fourth entry in the action franchise made an estimated $134 million in just 17 days, which is about what "Mission: Impossible III" made during its entire theatrical run.

"Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" was the runner-up in the box office race, collecting $22.1 million during its second weekend in theaters for $132.1 million total. Robert Downey Jr.'s second outing as the famous detective of classic literature carried an estimated production budget of $90 million.

"Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked," the third movie in the series, came in third on the New Year's box office scorecard. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" jumped 45 percent from last weekend with $18.3 million for a $94.6 million total, which is about $45 million behind where the first "Alvin and the Chipmunks" stood at the same point in its run.

Steven Spielberg's "War Horse" was in a close race for the #4 spot with David Fincher's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." "War Horse" took in an estimated $16.4 million (for a $42.9 million total) while "Dragon Tattoo" earned another $16.8 million, which was a 16 percent increase from the weekend before. The first American adaptation of the popular Swedish novel has made a total of $57.1 million. Filmmaker Cameron Crowe's "We Bought a Zoo" was #5 with $14.3 million for a $41.8 million total.

Garry Marshall's critically reviled ensemble rom-com "New Year's Eve" doubled its previous weekend, thanks no doubt to the arrival of the holiday for which it's named. The follow-up to "Valentine's Day" has made just $46.4 million since its release, however, and 93 percent of film critics panned the flick, according to film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.

Looking back at the 2011 box office, the final "Harry Potter" film was #1 overall with its $381 million gross. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" was just behind with $352.3 million. Rounding out the top five were "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" ($275.4 million), "The Hangover Part II" ($254.4 million) and "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" ($241 million).

Check out everything we've got on "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol."

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