Guy Ritchie’s pipe-puffing, arse-kicking sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows has put one over on its multiplex rivals by stealing to the top of the festive box office.
Taking just over $40m on its opening weekend, Sherlock Holmes comfortably beat nearest competitor Alvin And The Chipmunks 3 into second place. The best performer however, was arguably Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol , which took $13m, despite only playing in 425 locations.
Seasonal juggernaut New Year's Eve plummeted down to fourth spot, with a little under $7.5m, whilst Jonah Hill’s sweary comedy The Sitter rounds out the top five with $4.4m.
Breaking Dawn - Part 1 added a further $4.3m to its overall haul with Young Adult sitting just below it in seventh place after a $3.6m weekend.
Three family films are currently propping up the rest of the table, Hugo faring best with a weekend take of $3.625 million. Arthur Christmas and The Muppets sit in nine and tenth spot, on $3.6 million and $3.45 million respectively.
Next weekend will see The Adventures Of Tintin launched upon a Stateside audience, while Mission: Impossible is granted a full-scale release. And then there’s the small matter of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo …
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