娱乐英语新闻:"Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" rules New Year's box office in North America

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Tom Cruise's latest starrer " Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" extended its lead of the North America box office into the second weekend on Sunday, while other installments of blockbuster hits trailed with impressive receipts of ticket sales.

The fourth installment of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, which hit the screen on Dec. 21, grossed 31.3 million U.S. dollars in sales over the four-day holiday period, distributor Paramount projected. It is on track to take in 134.1 million dollars in ticket stubs over three weeks.

The actioner passed the mark of 100 million dollars on Thursday and 200 million dollars in global markets on Friday, which totaled more than 300 million dollars in international markets.

"Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows," the sequel of the popular 2009 "Sherlock Holmes," remained at second spot with 22.1 million dollars, for a 17-day gross of 132.1 million.

"Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked," Fox's latest installment in the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise, kept the third spot of the North America box office which it gained last weekend, with a projected sale of 18.3 million dollars over the weekend. It is estimated to sell 94.6 million dollars in three weeks.

Rounding out the top 10 most popular films in North America this weekend are "War Horse" (16.9 million dollars), "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" (16.3 million dollars), "We Bought A Zoo" (14.3 million dollars), "The Adventures of TinTin" (12 million dollars), "New Year's Eve" (6.7 million dollars), "The Darkest Hour" (4.3 million dollars), and "The Descendants" (3.7 million dollars).

In 2011, revenues from the North America film market reached 10. 22 billion dollars, registering a 3.36-percent slip from 2010's receipt of 10.57 billion dollars, Hollywood.com reported. The statistics also reflected a 4.21-percent drop in attendance from 2010.