Box Office Update: "Impossible" overshadows "Sherlock"'s game

The latest "Holmes" flick is a tricky contraption of sort, wavering between bigger & better and louder & crasser than the first flick. Keep in mind, that first one had a great many detractors for me, but it came almost out of nowhere and created a dark atmosphere very in tune with director Guy Richie's other films, but it finally works here. In "A Game of Shadows", not so much. Mind you, I'll get slightly more in depth with my thoughts on the film later on, but for now it's simply worth representing how the box office dip between the first and the second films is indicative of the time there is to be had on each. They spent 30% more, and ended up with 30% less.

Not to say that it was a total failure. $40 million is still $40 million, even if there's a strong degree of work left to go. That's why we have the Christmas break to burgeon these opportunities. And even outside "Holmes", we saw strong signs for the box office. "Alvin & the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked", in spite of horrid reviews, picked up its child audience skillfully without a hitch. Sure, it's not quite as much as they wanted, but they get what they payed for. They're rather good at that. But the big success story of the weekend was "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol", which picked up a hefty sum from its IMAX screens this weekend. That allied with the advanced buzz that is bound to boost its overall income means that it could very well be the massive hit of the holiday season, as well it should be. Check the charts after the jump.

Weekend Report: Under the Radar

If that title makes it kind of clear-cut where I want the attention to go this weekend, it's because I'd rather people seek out "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" aggressively in IMAX. Never mind Christopher Nolan's little prologue that is playing in front of SOME screening. In any case, you'll get the chance to see the new trailer for "The Dark Knight Rises", which within five seconds made me forget about my self-embargo on all trailers. Now, I'm satisfied to wait the next seven months dry. But that is merely an afterthought (or forethought) when it comes to the film that follows. It's an experience you must appreciate in IMAX, or not at all.

Of course, let's not let that overshadow the other films out this weekend, which aren't films you can dismiss either. "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" would've much benefited from the subtitle of "Ghost Protocol", but it still looks like Guy Richie is playing with the same toys that have done him well in the past, be it with a more controlled focus. I am much more excited, on the other hand, to catch "Young Adult". It's less the film that's drawing me in as it is Charlize Theron. She's one of those actresses who's coming back into the fold without making a fuss about it. Leave that for the film. Oh, and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" is out too. Kind of.