‘Twas the Wednesday before Christmas, but before I get going, I’ll end this rhyme so it doesn’t start blowing. That’s right, we have arrived at that fabled time of year when Hollywood finally unwraps some of its most-anticipated titles. After its IMAX triumph last weekend, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol went wide on Wednesday and quickly vaulted over both Sherlock Holmes 2 and Alvin and the Chipmunks 3 to claim first place with $8.6 million. M:I 4 also topped David Fincher’s much-hyped version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which snuck into theatres a day ahead of its official December 21st release date. From 2,914 locations, Dragon Tattoo has earned an estimated $5.1 million so far – just slightly behind what True Grit saw on its pre-Christmas debut one year ago. Rounding out yesterday’s top five was Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin. One of Spielberg’s two end-of-year offerings (War Horse arrives on December 25th), Tintin earned a relatively-soft $2.3 million from 3,087 domestic theatres, but a giant $240 million internationally. With Christmas falling on a Sunday, this weekend’s totals are not expected to equal 2010 (when Little Fockers reigned), but we’ll keep you updated either way.
Title |
Wednesday |
Total |
|
1 |
Mission Impossible 4 |
$8,600,000 |
$25.7 |
2 |
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo |
$3,500,000 |
$5.1 |
3 |
Sherlock Holmes 2 |
$4,284,000 |
$54 |
4 |
Alvin and the Chipmunks 3 |
$3,510,000 |
$32.9 |
5 |
Adventures of Tintin |
$2,300,000 |
$2.3 |