Achieving the Impossible: Ghost Protocol keeps Tom Cruise at the top of the box office charts for the second week running
Many experts believed Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol would be a step to far for the franchise.
But the movie has given its star Tom Cruise a very merry Christmas, and its it now looks like it will also give him a happy New Year as it is set to top the box office for the second successive week.
The fourth film's Friday takings have increased by 10 per cent on last week to net an impressive $10.7 million at the North American box office.
Is his magic touch back? Tom Cruise will be excited that his comeback looks on track with the strong performance of Ghost Protocol
No doubt critics will not be surprised the action flick is performing so well.
They have given it uniformly positive reviews, with Rolling Stone's Peter Travers giving hunky Tom and director Brad Bird, who previously helmed animated features such as The Incredibles, the credit.
He said: 'For Bird, the impossible is business as usual, and his is the best and most spectacular Mission yet.
Cruise control: The movie glided its way to another week at the top
'This is Cruise's show and the actor brings the role a startling athletic grace and becoming maturity
'If someone asks you what a true movie star is, point to Cruise.'
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And this double act has certainly been a success - it has taken $113.5 million so far and should easily pass Mission: Impossible III's $134 million gross sometime next weekend, and its worldwide take of $397.8 million later this month.
It is another egg in the face for box office experts who expected the fourth MI film to flounder and turkey The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo to fly.
Shelock Holmes: A Game of Shadows continued to perform well after fears it could fail following a weak opening.
Strong word of mouth is believed to have helped it maintain its grip on second spot, pulling in $7.7 mil for a total gross of $117.6 million so far.
Holmes and dry: Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law are raking in cash for Game of Shadows makers Warner Bros
However it has attracted mixed reviews from reviewers, with A.O Scott of the New York Times saying: 'There is a plot, but no real intrigue, mystery or suspense, and no inkling of anything at stake beyond a childish and belligerent idea of fun.'
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, saw a huge improvement on last week, taking 31 per cent more than last Friday with $7.1 million.
It is expected it will end up taking more than $18 million over the weekend, with parents taking advantage of a break from holiday preparations to indulge their progeny.
A chip off the old block: Alvin and his chums are pulling in punters despite poor reviews from critics
However it is likely they will not enjoy their experience, with the film scoring just a 13 per cent rating on reviews aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, with one critic dismissively saying it is 'Harmless and charmless.'
The performance of Christmas turkey The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo improved slightly, increasing by 16 percent for $5.4 million.
However the slight rebound of the David Fincher movie is unlikely to improve Daniel Craig's profile with movie chiefs, as this is his second high profile bomb after the disastrous Cowboys and Aliens.
Did you see the original? Many have said the Daniel Craig led Dragon Tattoo is a pointless remake of an excellent original
Time Magazine reviewer Richard Corliss stuck the boot in, saying it was a pointless remake of the hit Swedish original.
He said: 'Seeing Fincher’s version is like getting a Christmas gift of a book you already have.
Rounding off the top five is I Bought A Zoo, which held well compared to last week.
The Cameron Crowe picture added $4.9 million, meaning it has grossed $32.3 million in just 8 days.
Experts believe the $23m budgeted comedy drama could end up taking around $60m in North America alone.
The Iron Lady had a limited release, debuting in just four theaters and taking $76,300, which works out to $19,075 per screen.
Zoo little beauty: The Matt Damon led picture is expected to pull in far more than its budget
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