A couple of franchise sequels got the holiday season off to a slow start. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows [HOLM2] topped the weekend box office with an estimated $40.0 million, well off the $62.3 million debut of the first Sherlock Holmes. The film drew an audience that was 59% male and 68% over the age of 25.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked [ALVN3] opened with just $23.5 million, nearly half of the two previous installments. Business should pick uup for the threequel with school out for the coming weeks.
Sneaking on 425 IMAX screens, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol [MISS4] banked $13.0 million for third place.
Last weekend's top film, New Year's Eve [NYEVE] declined 43% to $7.4 million in its second session.
In its first weekend of wide release, Young Adult [YADLT] earned $3.7 million.
| Rank | TITLE | F-S-S | TOTAL |
| 1 | SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS | $40,020,000 | $40,020,000 |
| 2 | ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED | $23,500,000 | $23,500,000 |
| 3 | MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- GHOST PROTOCOL | $13,000,000 | $13,000,000 |
| 4 | NEW YEAR'S EVE | $7,420,000 | $24,826,000 |
| 5 | THE SITTER | $4,400,000 | $17,221,306 |
| 6 | THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PT. 1 | $4,300,000 | $266,430,081 |
| 7 | YOUNG ADULT | $3,650,000 | $4,090,000 |
| 8 | HUGO | $3,625,000 | $39,073,000 |
| 9 | ARTHUR CHRISTMAS | $3,600,000 | $38,547,000 |
| 10 | THE MUPPETS | $3,500,000 | $70,900,000 |
| 11 | THE DESCENDANTS | $3,350,000 | $28,727,552 |
| 12 | JACK AND JILL | $1,225,000 | $70,503,000 |
Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.
Tag(s): HOLM2, ALVN3, MISS4, NYEVE, YADLT