International Box Office: Sherlock Holmes takes the lead

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol was first for three consecutive weekends, mostly because Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was still running in just a few markets and because there was not much else out there. Out in 51 countries now, it’s finally time for Sherlock to shine.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows grossed $44.8 million last weekend for a total of $177.2 million internationally and a worldwide cume of $335.3 million. The 2009 Sherlock Holmes finished with $315 million internationally and $524 million worldwide so A Game of Shadows, while on the right track, still has a long way to go. Right now I doubt the sequel can match that $524 million raised by the original, it will probably finish just shy of $500 million.

In 2nd place we don’t have Tom Cruise and his impossible missions but instead Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked with a mighty $30.9 million from 62 territories. Now Alvin and his gang stand at $128.5 million internationally so I don’t know if it will reach the $223.5 million made by the previous entry. Worldwide Chipwrecked is at $240.5 million and it’s now safe to say that The Smurfs ($562.5 million) is way out of reach for the rodents.

3rd place belongs to former leader Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, a tour de force that brings Tom Cruise back as agent Ethan Hunt, once again, you guessed it, to save the world. I don’t know about saving the world but with another $28.8 million, Ghost Protocol brings its total to $294 million and once we add what it made in North America, we get a glorious $464.8 million worldwide, that’s more than Mission: Impossible 3 ($397.9M) and Mission: Impossible ($457.7M) and soon enough it will also pass Mission: Impossible 2 ($546.4M). Now truth be told, Mission: Impossible 1 and 2 are 15 and 11 years old so adjusted for inflation, Ghost Protocol would need a heck of a lot more money to beat those two.

Puss in Boots was 4th with $17.8 million and $311.6 million internationally. With $458.2 million worldwide, Puss in Boots is now the 10th highest grossing DreamWorks animated flick and as far as spin-offs in general go, higher than anything I’ve ever seen. So when’s that sequel coming DreamWorks Animation, aye?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo rounds up the top 5 with $12.5 million for $29.3 million internationally and a worldwide total of $107.1 million on a $90 million budget. While this might seem rather disappointing, Sony is still moving forward with The Girl Who Played with Fire.

In other news, another week has passed and Summit Entertainment has yet to update the international numbers of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, still stuck at $381 million.