Weekend box office sees Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol top for a second week over Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Alvin & The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.
Paramount Pictures' actioner Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol maintained its first position over the New Year's weekend, grossing an estimated $31.25 million from 3,455 theaters. Brad Bird's well crafted film starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton and Simon Pegg, averated $9,045 per theater, and brought its domestic cume to over $134.1 million. Internationally, M:I - Ghost Protocol has generated a solid $190.8 million so far, bringing its worldwide cume to over $324.8 million.
Warner Bros. Pictures' second-placed sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, starring Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace and Rachel McAdams, posted $22.09 million. Domestic total is now over $132.1 million while internationally, the Guy Ritchie film has posted around $49 million, making for a worldwide gross of $181.1 million.
In third, Fox's Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked made $18.25 million and closes the gap the the $100 million North American gross, with $94.6 million posted thus far. Overseas, the Jason Lee, David Cross, Justin Long, Christina Applegate and Anna Faris starrer has generated just under $80 million.
Steven Spielberg's War Horse managed a decent $16.9 million in its first full weekend run after debuting on Christmas Day. Jeremy Irvine-powered film ended in fourth place, with a cast also including Benedict Cumberpatch, Tom Hiddleston, David Thewlis and Emily Watson in the mix. Pic has $42.9 million earned domestically, and $4 million internationally.
In fifth, Sony's English-language The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo thriller also stayed on weel with $16.3 million posted. Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard and Robin Wright Penn star in David Fincher's film scripted by Steven Zaillian, based on the novel by Stieg Larsson.
In a weekend where only limited openers debuted, Weinstein Co's The Iron Lady impressed with an expected big per-theater average, grossing $221,752 from just 4 theaters, at an average of $55,438.
Sony Pictures Classics' A Separation drama turned in $66,598 in its debut weekend, averaging $22,199 per theater and Focus Features' Pariah winner made $49,695.