It was a buoyant holiday frame for the last releases of 2011, with audiences turning out in droves (and likely family-loaded minivans) to boost just about every film in theaters. Biggest congrats are in order for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol , which is indeed set to make in 17 days what Mission: Impossible III made in its entire theatrical run. And, look! A bunch more people caught the timely holiday spirit and bought a Zoo this week, along with a War Horse and, uh, Garry Marshall’s New Year’s Eve . Enjoy it while it lasts, Garry. Auld lang syne, 2011. Your holiday weekend receipts after the jump! 1. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol Gross: $31,250,000 ($134,139,000 ) Screens: 3,455 (PSA $9,045) Weeks: 3 (Change: +5.9%) Tom Cruise’s latest spy outing dominates yet again. Pop the champagne and commence the couch-jumping! (I know, I know. That joke is so 2005.) 2. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Gross: $22,095,000 ($132,100,000) Screens: 3,703 (PSA $5,967) Weeks: 3 (Change: +9.1%) Sherlock 2 may not have the flashy buzz that MI:4 has enjoyed, and it’s trailed behind Ghotocol all these weeks, but consider: its domestic tally is only $2 million behind that of the box office champ. Pat on the back, good sirs! 3. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked Gross: $18,250,000 ($94,609,000) Screens: 3,724 (PSA $4,901) Weeks: 3 (Change: +45%) Chipwrecked is on track to cross $100 million this week. Look at what you’ve done, America. 4. War Horse Gross: $16,940,000 ($42,969,000) Screens: 2,547 (PSA $6,651) Weeks: 2 (Change: +125.4%) At least one of Spielberg’s two new jams is picking up speed, and how : War Horse ‘s whopping increase, up 125.4 percent from last week, only solidifies those designs on the Oscars. And what a no brainer, anyway — what movie screams “Take the aunts and uncles and cousins and gramps to the movies since you’re still stuck at home after Christmas” like a movie that combines Spielbergian sentiment, old-timey war, and a horse? 5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Gross: $16,300,000 ($57,100,000) Screens: 2,914 (PSA: $5,594) Weeks: 2 (Change: +27.8%) …unless Fincher + goth punk intrigue + the Yeah Yeah Yeahs + a little rape ‘n’ revenge in the icy climes of Sweden is more your family’s style. In which case, can I come visit next Christmas? 6. We Bought a Zoo Gross: $14,300,000 ($41,787,000) Screens: 3,163 (PSA: $4,521) Weeks: 2 (Change: +52.8) Great! The new Cameron Crowe caught on better this week, probably thanks to those billboards featuring gift-wrapped exotic animals. Just another irresponsible message for audiences to eat up to add to the pile. 7. The Adventures of Tintin Gross: $12,000,000 ($47,841,000) Screens: 3,087 (PSA: $3,887) Weeks: 2 (Change: +23.6%) One out of two ain’t bad, I suppose… especially when the foreign box office is carrying the Belgian boy detective adventure to the tune of $239 million and counting. 8. New Year’s Eve Gross: $6,741,000 ($46,372,000) Screens: 2,225 (PSA: $3,030) Weeks: 4 (Change: +103.7%) Of course there were people who went to the multiplex this week, skimmed past the War Horses and Girls with the Dragon Tattoos , and the Mission: Impossibles , and thought “Y’know what? LET’S GO SEE THAT ONE ABOUT NEW YEAR’S EVE!” Of course. Just die already, movie. 9. The Darkest Hour Gross: $4,300,000 ($13,200,000) Screens: 2,327 (PSA: $1,848) Weeks: 2 (Change: +43.3%) Summit farted a new action-packed adventure into theaters this Christmas with nary a peep of marketing, so we can assume anyone who went to see The Darkest Hour — a movie about killer aliens who look like lightbulbs or light or something — were just playing movie roulette when they bought their tickets. It’ll be out of the top 10 by next week, and out of our collective consciousness even sooner. I guess when you have all that Twilight money you can create your own pre-dumping ground frame before the January dumping grounds even begin? 10. The Descendants Gross: $3,650,000 ($39,675,000) Screens: 758 (PSA: $4,815) Weeks: 7 (Change: +76%) Good on the Alexander Payne drama that, in its seventh week, it managed to sneak into the top 10 with a totally decent per-screen average on less than 800 screens to boot. Let’s see if The Descendants can prove its awards season mettle by sticking it out in the coming weeks. [Figures via Box Office Mojo ]
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New Year’s Weekend Receipts: 2011 Ends with a Box Office Boost
