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SALT LAKE CITY -- Four of the predictions from last week materialized, with "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" taking first, "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" coming in second, "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" landing in third despite its limited release, and "New Year's Eve."
The only upset was "The Sitter," which came in fifth, finally managing to banish "Breaking Dawn" from the top-five list. "The Muppets" made a rapid descent taking ninth place, down from fourth the weekend prior.
The box office proved once again to be fickle this past weekend. While the weekend totals were significantly higher than the previous two week, the overall performances were ultimately lackluster.
"Game of Shadows" took in $39 million, a far cry from the $62 million taken in by the original in 2009. "Chipwrecked" took in $23 million, down from "Squeakquel," which grossed $48 million in 2009 as well. "Mission Impossible" cannot be adequately compared given that it only opened in a small number of theaters compared to "Mission: Impossible III."
This week brought a slew of new releases that may help boost overall totals. Dec. 21 saw the release of "The Adventures of Tintin." Marking Steven Spielberg's debut into animated films, "Tintin" has already taken over $200 million internationally.
In addition to "Tintin," last Wednesday ushered in the wide release of "Mission Impossible" as well as the release of "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."
Dec. 23 brings one major release, "We Bought a Zoo." This romp through incredibly family friendly territory stars Matt Damon alongside Scarlett Johansson.
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On Christmas Day viewers will see several releases in "War Horse" and "The Darkest Hour." Interestingly, Spielberg also directed "War Horse."
The predictions for the Christmas weekend are as follows:
1. "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol"
The fourth in the series, "Mission Impossible" promises to delight audiences. Despite a limited release "Mission Impossible" did very well at the box office so far. This addition is strong and clearly not disappointing viewers.
2. "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
"Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" will be taboo for families this weekend given its 'R' rating. Yet, given late author Stieg Larsson's fan following it should perform well.
3. "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows"
"A Game of Shadows" will enjoy another solid performance. Having come in first last weekend it will likely slip a few places to third as new releases enjoy their time in the spotlight.
4. "We Bought a Zoo"
While Damon is not typically found highlighting PG films, his performance is strong in a film that is not goofy, atypical of many animal movies. This film should do well as families congeal for the Christmas weekend. While unlikely to have the drawing power of some of the other high-budget films that have been long anticipated, "We Bought the Zoo" should come in on their coattails.
As an animated film "Tintin" will do well over the Christmas weekend. "Tintin" opened in October internationally where it enjoyed $56 million during its first weekend.
Joseph Irvine is an avid entrepreneur who received recognition in Newsweek for charter school admissions lottery software he wrote and distributes through www.eduLottery.com. He is currently a contractor for ClearPlay.
