Box Office Update: "Impossible" End to the Year

At this point, I'm just sick of the negativity surrounding the analysis of the box office. Not the box office itself, as it's doing pretty damn well. I can see the top ten of this weekend doing well in the coming month, and an obvious surge for "The Artist" is coming when the nominations eventually do come. It's wise of the Weinstein Company to hold that back just long enough for it to really bring audiences in later on. For now, the box office gold is being spread pretty evenly, since there's nothing to really hog the spotlight. I don't think that'll change in December of this year either, but it's still an honest earnings.

"Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" overtook "Sherlock Holmes" as far as total box office goes, with it likely heading to finish at or above $200 million. That seals the deal for a fifth film, after all the work this franchise has done. "Alvin and the Chipmunks" continues to do well, as we knew it would, and the same almost goes for "War Horse". I have an equal interest in seeing either of them in theaters, or ever for that matter. And in spite of some perceived-to-be-poor opening numbers for "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", it bounced back properly to bring its total up to $60 million, on its way to +$100 million. I'd consider that a success for a franchise starter based on a Swedish novel. And the rest is the rest, but it's still an more than modest improvement on last weekend.

1. "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" (Third Weekend; $31.3 million)

2. "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" (Third Weekend; $20.1 million)

3. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" (Third Weekend; $18.3 million)

4. "War Horse" (Second Weekend; $16.9 million)

5. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (Second Weekend; $16.3 million)

6. "We Bought a Zoo" (Second Weekend; $14.3 million)

7. "The Adventures of Tintin" (Second Weekend; $12 million)

8. "New Year's Eve" (Fourth Weekend; $6.7 million)

9. "The Darkest Hour" (Second Weekend; $4.3 million)

10. "The Descendants" (Seventh Weekend; $3.7 million)