Weekend Box Office: 'Mission: Impossible' Takes Christmas Crown, as 'Dragon Tattoo,' 'Tintin,' 'Zoo' Stumble

Coming back towards the days when Tom Cruise would be a top domestic box office draw may have appeared as an impossible mission, but 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol,' easily fended off several highly-recommended beginners, including 'The Girl Using the Dragon Tattoo' and 'The Adventures of Tintin,' to accept holiday box office crown. After last week's effective IMAX-only debut, the 4th 'Mission: Impossible' installment broadened from 425 screens to three,448, leading to an believed second-weekend take of $26.5 million. That's about $ten million under most commentators predicted, however it was still being far in front of every other movie a few days ago. Plus, with decent word-of-mouth with no new wide releases next weekend, the film might support the top slot for an additional couple of weeks. The movie's total up to now involves $59. million. Last week's champion, 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game Title of Shadows,' fell a clear, crisp 55 percent for an believed $17.8 million an additional-place finish. (No surprise, with as much as four new wide release movies elbowing in to the action/mystery/adventure/thriller space.) In 2 weekends, it's gained a good $76.six million. In third place, 'Alvin and also the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,' dropped 42 percent for an believed $13.3 million. Individuals amounts need to be an enormous disappointment for that franchise, whose first couple of payments made a lot more than $215 million each. That one has gained just $50.3 million in 2 days. It will be lucky to obtain anywhere near $100 million. Debuting in 4th place, 'The Girl Using the Dragon Tattoo' gained an believed $13. million. That's well below anticipation, that have been a minimum of $18 million around the low finish. In the end, the film is dependant on a best-selling book, is customized towards the gifts of their A-list director (David Fincher) and it has been riding a wave of hype and Oscar buzz for any year. Still, it is a lengthy movie (nearly three hrs), which limits the amount of occasions daily it may screen, it provides extensive competition among current wide-release thrillers, and it is pretty harsh and terrible for moviegoers inside a holiday mood. Still, its acclaim and originality (little else in theaters is dark) can provide it some legs. Getting opened up in mid-week, it's gained an overall total to date of $21.4 million. 'The Adventures of Tintin' had been a massive worldwide hit when it opened up here on Wednesday. That is good since the Steven Spielberg family-friendly action tale gained only an believed $9.a million in the domestic box office over the past weekend (finishing at No. 5) and $17.a million total in The United States for that week. That's by what was expected, given American audiences' insufficient knowledge of the ecu comic-book adventurer. Getting already gained $239 million overseas, the manufacturers of 'Tintin' most likely aren't too disappointed. Debuting in sixth place was 'We Purchased a Zoo,' that has made an believed $7.8 million because it opened up on Friday. Again, that's about everything was expected from the family-friendly film, despite some buzz-building sneak previews in recent days. Reviews were mixed, and Matt Damon is not as bankable of the title outdoors the experience genre. Final figures for that crowded Christmas weekend, which incorporated the Sunday releases of Steven Spielberg's period drama 'War Horse' and also the alien invasion thriller 'The Pitch-dark Hour,' will not be launched until Tuesday. Only at that writing, there have been no studio estimations yet for that first day's receipts for that two December 25 debuts. Prior to the weekend, pundits' forecasts for 'War Horse' were within the $6-$7 million range for Sunday, when they expected just $2 or $3 million from 'The Pitch-dark Hour.' 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' - Trailer No. 2 The entire top ten: 1. 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol,' $26.5 million (3,448 screens) $59. million total 2. 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game Title of Shadows,' $17.8 million (3,703), $76.six million 3. 'Alvin and also the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,' $13.3 million (3,734), $50.3 million 4. 'The Girl Using the Dragon Tattoo,' $13. million (2,914), $21.4 million 5. 'The Adventures of Tintin,' $9.a million (3,087), $17.a million 6. 'We Purchased a Zoo,' $7.8 million (3,117), era 7. 'New Year's Eve,' $4. million (2,225), $32.3 million total 8. 'Arthur Christmas,' $2.7 million (1,804), $44.two million 9. 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning Part 1,' $2.a million (1,603), $270.9 million 10. 'Hugo,' $2. million (1,236) $43.7 million [Photos: Vital ('Mission: Impossible'), The new sony ('The Girl Using the Dragon Tattoo'), Vital ('The Adventures of Tintin'), twentieth century Fox ('We Purchased a Zoo')] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook Follow Gary Susman on Twitter: @garysusman

Splendid beefs up selection

BERLIN -- Splendid Film has acquired rights with a slew of high-profile photos, like the Arnold Schwarzenegger actioner "Black Sands" and Stuart Beattie's monster actioner "I, Frankenstein" for German-speaking areas as well as the Benelux. Directed by Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh ("Act of Valor"), "Black Sands" follows a loner who wages war against a callous weapons manufacturer and also the private military. Schwarzenegger also stars in Splendid's "Last Stand." "I, Frankenstein" stars Aaron Eckhart and Bill Nighy inside an adaptation of Kevin Grevioux's graphic novel about Frankenstein's creature, which has managed to get to the present day and finds themselves in the war between humans and supernatural animals. Splendid, the distribution arm of Perfume-based Splendid Medien, also acquired Mark Steven Johnson's "Killing Season," in which a former Serbian soldier seeks vengeance against a U.S. vet inside the Appalachian Hills, and which pairs Travolta Qantas Video and Robert P Niro the first time round the silver screen. In Eric Heisserer's "Several hours," Paul Master stars just like a youthful father fighting to keep his newborn daughter alive inside an abandoned New Orleans hospital a direct consequence of Hurricane Katrina. Further purchases include Australian seventies-set sci-fi thriller "Skylab" from producer David Lightfoot Chinese historic actioner "Guillotines" from producers Peter Chan ("Warlords") and Andrew Lau ("Infernal Matters") and Adam Wingard's horror-thriller "The Following.In . Splendid expects to produce the movies theatrically in 2012 and 2013. Contact Erection dysfunction Meza at staff@variety.com

'38 Witnesses' to spread out Rotterdam

The city -- Lucas Belvaux's crime drama "38 temoins" (38 Witnesses) will open the Rotterdam Film Festival on Jan. 25, taking its world bow along the way. With different novel by Didier Decoin, pic involves Louise (Sophie Quinton), who returns home following a business travel to uncover her street was the scene of the crime. Initially there seem to be no witnesses, but with time she discovers that 38 people heard or saw something which evening, including her husband Pierre (Yvan Attal). Pic may be the eighth feature in the Belgian helmer, who works mainly from France. It marks his second collaboration with Attal following the kidnap drama "Rapt" last year. World sales are addressed by Films Distribution, with Diaphana set to distribute in Gaul. Rotterdam shuts on February. 4 with "The Hunter," a mental drama from Australia that opened this season in the Toronto Film Fest. It stars Willem Dafoe like a mercenary, sent with a shadowy biotech company to search the final Tasmanian tiger. Daniel Nettheim directs, working from the novel by "Sleeping Beauty" helmer Julia Leigh. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Searchlight taps Componen sales professional

RodriguezFox Searchlight has hired Vital theatrical sales professional Frank Rodriguez as senior Vice president and assistant general sales director. Rodriguez will are accountable to professional Vice president of distribution Sheila DeLoach. Appointment marks a Fox homecoming for Rodriguez, who started his career at Searchlight parent company twentieth century Fox in early eighties. In 1990, professional required around the role of branch manager for that studio and gone to live in NY before joining Searchlight as Vice president of sales because of its eastern division in 1995. He gone to live in DreamWorks in 1997, and many lately offered as senior veep and eastern sales director for Vital. Contact Rachel Abrams at Rachel.Abrams@variety.com

Eurimages funds next pic by Mungiu

France's Why Don't You Prods. is joining with Romania's Mobra Films and Belgium's L'ensemble des Films du Fleuve, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's The city-based shingle, to create "Provizoriu," the following film by Romanian filmmaker Christian Mungiu. Compiled by Mungiu, "Provizoriu" may be the Romanian convent-set tale of the 23-year-old's fascination with another femme inmate. Why Don't You may be the lead producer. Mungiu's "4 Several weeks, 3 Days, and a pair of Days" won Cannes' 2007 Palme d'Or, and was launched within the U.S. by IFC. "Provizoriu" is just one of 18 European co-productions which have attracted lower 5.85 million ($7.six million) in subsidies in the Council of Europe's Eurimages Fund. Also drawn on for gold coin is Abdellatif Kechiche ("The Key from the Grain"), who's mounted on helm "Le Bleu est une couleur chaude." A coming-of-age drama, "Bleu" is to establish at France's Wild Bunch and Quat'Sous Films, Kechiche's own label, Belgium's Scope Photos, which paves the way to that particular country's tax-break gold coin, and Spain's Vertigo Films, which Wild Bunch co-is the owner of. "Bleu" adjusts a picture novel by France's Julie Maroh in regards to a teen who falls for any blue-haired girl. Further Eurimages subsidy readers are Jean-Paul Lilienfeld's "Arretez-moi," with Sophie Marceau and Miou-Miou, created by France's Rezo and Luxembourg's Iris, and "When Day Breaks," from Serbia's Goran Paskaljevic ("Honeymoons"). "Bleu" won Eurimages' greatest 2011 award: $728,000. "Song from the Ocean," from Tomm Moore ("The Key of Kells"), drawn lower $715,000, as did Alex and David Pastor's "The Final Days" and "Camiel Borgmann," from Nederlander auteur Alex van Warmerdam ("Waiter"). Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

Batman Star Bale Tries To Visit China Activist

First Published: December 16, 2011 9:09 AM EST Credit: Getty Images BEIJING -- Caption Christian Bale arrives at the 2009 Los Angeles premiere of Public Enemies, June 23, 2009Batman star Christian Bale, in the midst of promoting a film he made in China that some critics have called propaganda, was physically stopped by government-backed guards from visiting a blind activist living under house arrest with a CNN crew in tow to record the scuffle. CNN posted footage of the confrontation on its website Friday. The run-in and publicity is likely to cause discomfort in Chinas government-backed film industry, which hopes Bales movie The Flowers of War will be a creative success at home and abroad. The stars actions are sure to focus attention on the plight of Chen Guangcheng, guarded around the clock by thugs who have blocked dozens of reporters and fellow activists trying to see him in the past. Bale was to leave China on Friday and his representatives could not immediately be reached for comment. Bale, who won a best supporting actor Oscar for last years The Fighter, traveled Thursday with a crew from CNN to the village in eastern China where Chen, the blind lawyer, lives with his family in complete isolation. They were stopped at the entrance to Dongshigu village in Shandong province by unidentified men. The video footage shows Bale asking to see Chen, with a CNN producer providing interpretation, but being ordered by one of the guards to leave. He then asked why he was unable to pass through. The guards responded by trying to grab or punch a small video camera Bale was carrying. What I really wanted to do was to meet the man, shake his hand and say what an inspiration he is, Bale was quoted as saying by CNN. Chens case has been raised publicly by U.S. lawmakers and diplomats, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, all to no response from China. CNN said Bale first learned of Chen from news reports when he was in China filming The Flowers of War, Chinas official submission this year for best foreign language film Oscar. Chen Guangcheng is a newsworthy figure and as such it is in the interest of CNNs global viewers to hear from him, CNN said in a statement. Mr. Bale reached out to CNN and invited us to join him on his journey to visit Chen. Chen, a self-taught lawyer who was blinded by a fever in infancy, angered authorities after documenting forced late-term abortions and sterilizations and other abuses by overzealous authorities trying to meet population control goals in his rural community. He was imprisoned for allegedly instigating an attack on government offices and organizing a group of people to disrupt traffic, charges his supporters say were fabricated. Although now officially free under the law, he has been confined to his home in the village eight hours drive from Beijing and subjected to periodic beatings and other abuse, activists say. While Bales visit focuses new attention on Chens case, CNNs role raises questions about activism and advocacy among reporters, said David Bandurski, editor of the China Media Project website at the University of Hong Kong. It made me instantly uncomfortable, wondering how it all came together. It raises questions about where the lines are drawn, Bandurski said. The incident also drew strong interest most of it highly positive on social networking sites such as Twitter and its Chinese equivalent, Weibo. Having their stars name pinging across the Internet in connection with such a politically sensitive subject puts promoters of The Flowers of War in a bind. The film opens in China on Friday and next week in the United States. Directed by the renowned Zhang Yimou, it is also the most expensive Chinese movie ever made, at $94 million, some of which came from the state-owned Bank of China. The movie centers on the 1937 sacking of the eastern city of Nanjing, a central event in Chinas pre-revolutionary century of humiliation and has been described by some critics as hewing to official propaganda portraying Chinese as heroic victims and Japanese as one-dimensional cartoon villains. While China has the worlds third-largest film industry both in box office and output it has made relatively little global impact. Story lines are often heavily influenced by the ruling Communist Party, whose culture commissars must approve scripts and have final say over whether a film gets released. Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Donald Trump Pulls Out Of Hosting GOP Presidential Debate In Iowa

First Published: December 13, 2011 3:03 PM EST Credit: Getty Images Caption Donald Trump visits FOX and Friends at FOX Studios, NY City, on August 29, 2011NY, N.Y. -- Donald Trump says he is pulling out of a Republican presidential debate he had agreed to moderate in Iowa. The real estate mogul announced Tuesday that he was stepping back in order to preserve the option of running for president in case hes not satisfied that the eventual Republican nominee can defeat President Barack Obama. The conservative website Newsmax was to host the debate Dec. 27. But the debate has been in jeopardy ever since Mitt Romney signaled he would not participate. Other candidates bowed out. Only Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum agreed to take part. Many Republican strategists warned that a presidential debate moderated by Trump, star of Celebrity Apprentice, would create a circus-like atmosphere that might diminish thecandidates vying to challenge Obama. Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

BBC ink news deal with Comcast

LONDON -- The BBC has found the final outcome a deal with Comcast to assist unveil its World News web inside the U.S. The 24-hour news funnel will probably be available via Comcast's Xfinity TV cable service in Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Ontario, Indiana, Tigard, plus Northern California, Michigan and Western Colonial with the finish of year. The rollout will probably be extended along with other Comcast areas next season. BBC World News was already moved by Cablevision and Verizon inside the U.S. The Comcast pact greater than doubles what is the news web's U.S. distribution. The corp. mentioned it requires BBC World News to remain in almost 15 million U.S. houses with the finish of 2012. Furthermore to news, the internet runs docus, lifestyle programs and interviews. An ordinary is daily newscast, BBC World News America, moored by Katty Kay. BBC's director of worldwide News, Peter Horrocks, recognized the agreement as "most likely the most crucial breakthroughs for your BBC's worldwide commercial news funnel, since it stretches its global footprint. " He added: "This deal signifies huge progress for BBC World News inside the best television market in the world.In . BBC World News airs in than 200 nations and areas worldwide. No financial particulars in the deal were revealed. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Lady Gaga Honored at 'Trevor Live' Benefit (Photos)

Twitter/AndrewSlouf The A-listers were out in full force at the Hollywood Palladium on Sunday night for the Trevor Live show benefiting the Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to the LGBT community under the age of 24.our editor recommendsLady Gaga's 13-Minute 'Marry the Night' Video Leaks Online Hours Before TV Premiere (Video)Lady Gaga Surprises Teen Fan With Personal Video Message About His Anti-Bullying Campaign (Video)Lady Gaga Addresses Bullying, Teen Suicide at Obama Fundraiser Lady Gaga was honored with the Trevor Hero Award for "being an inspiration to youth and increasing visibility and understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community." The singer recently founded the Born This Way Foundation to empower youth to be proud of who they are and to accept others as they are. PHOTOS: Lady Gaga's MTV Evolution Gaga was introduced by the family of Jamey Rodemeyer, the gay teen who committed suicide in September after years of being bullied. Gaga has paid tribute to him in the past, including at September's iHeartRadio music festival in Las Vegas. The singer has repeatedly said she wants to make bullying a hate crime. "This award means more to me than any Grammy I could ever win," the singer said in accepting her award. Meanwhile, Google Inc. received the Trevor 2020 Award for "increasing visibility and understanding of LGBTQ issues" for their efforts to improve workplace equality. The night also featured performances from Miley Cyrus, Mary J. Blige, Lee Ann Rimes, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka; Glee's Darren Criss; American Idol finalist Stefano Langone; and American Idol winner Kris Allen; among others. PHOTOS: Top 10 Highest Paid Music Artists Among the other stars in attendance were Zoe Saldana, Christina Hendricks, Julie Bowen, Amber Heard, JC Chasez, Eddie Cibrian, Josh Duhamel, Fergie, Jayma Mays, Zachary Quinto, Julianne Hough, Diego Bonato, Queen Latifah, Jessica Alba, Amy Poehler, Christina Applegate, Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Amber Riley, Mark Salling and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Glee's Darren Criss: Miley Cyrus Mary J. Blige American idol's Stefano Lagone Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Lady Gaga's Fashion Forward Style James Marsden Jane Lynch Kathy Griffin Katy Perry Lady Gaga Neil Patrick Harris

What's with all the meaner screeners?

I know it's wrongheaded, but I'm beginning to be anti-anti-piracy.Wherever you turn these days, the anti-piracy mafia has become ever more shrill. There's a new White House initiative, there are new bills in the House and Senate -- and then, of course, there are Hollywood's awards-season screeners. The DVDs sent to voters do not begin with a cheerful invitation to enjoy the film, but rather with a litany of legal threats that each year grow longer and more dire.Talk to the anti-piracy professionals, of course, and they'll acknowledge these admonitions consist of useless legal rhetoric. Each year, essentially the same percentage of vids end up getting pirated anyway.There are growing signs that the copyright-protection lobby is pissing people off rather than converting them to the cause. Political leaders and the Silicon Valley elite all seem alarmed by new bills with virtuous-sounding titles like the Protect Intellectual Property Act -- bills that, as the Wall Street Journal observed, could "strangle the Internet with regulation."The fear is that, if these bills pass, a single infringing link on a single page of a website could result in the entire site being shut down.In Hollywood, the release of screeners each year plays out like a ritual of ambivalence. The studios want voters to view the screeners -- but not really. They'd prefer we go to theaters. So would filmmakers, who resent seeing their artistry squeezed onto a TV screen. Even the Academy's furtive experiments with digital downloads make filmmakers edgy because streamed images look more like standard-def DVDs than like high-def Blu-rays (the same for iTunes streaming).I've been an Oscar voter for many years and relish the annual avalanche of screeners, but I nonetheless find the threats and admonitions tiresome. Further, a substantial number of TV sets cannot recognize the "enter" instruction on the vids that certify your "acceptance" of the threats, so you never get to see the movie anyway.Historically, screeners have always seemed to drive the Academy to distraction. One year voters were even sent a device that scanned the screeners, but many were defective and were soon discarded.For the studios, dispatching screeners is an expensive exercise -- the whole production and marketing process comes to as much as $400,000 a film. Voters may receive a DVD and a Blu-ray but distributors are not supposed to send more than one screener to a voter.To save costs, a few studios have tried to develop exclusionary lists of "retired" Academy members -- those who do not pay their $250 annual fee and thus cannot cast votes. No one knows what percentage of the 6,000 Academy members is "retired" but it could run into the thousands as a result of the bad economy and the Academy's AARP-plus demographics.As a voting member, I still find it gratifying to watch a screener in the quiet of my den to admire the individual components of the filmmaking process -- art direction, cinematography, etc. With that in mind, it's doubly jarring to be instructed at the outset that I must break the screener in half immediately upon viewing and feed it into the nearest inferno.I don't like destroying movies. I also don't like breaking videos in half (there must be myriad lawsuits over cuts and bruises). Finally, what if the voter wants to rerun a DVD just before the final vote to reassess a performance or even a musical score?The anti-piracy zealots aren't interested in aesthetic considerations such as these. They want to protect their copyright even if they have to badger you and send you to jail to do so. Contact Peter Bart at peter.bart@variety.com

Japan returns towards the table

Buenos Aires-- Japan, ranked only 18 several weeks ago because the world's most difficult major marketplace for mainstream movies and art photos alike, looks to become returning towards the table, although the territory still remains a tough sell. Joining a stable trickle of art films to shut deals towards the territory, Venezuela's 2010 Oscar entry "Hermano" continues to be offered by Germany's M-Attract Japan's Only Hearts.Clinched in Buenos Aires Saturday, the offer is among the first to visit lower only at that year's Ventana Sur, the 4-day Latin American film market, which opened up its doorways on Friday. M-Appeal has additionally lately closed Japanese privileges with AT Entertainment on Argentine Nicolas Goldbart's "Fase 7."Japan is opening, recognized Anne Wiedlack, M-Appeal sales director. But in comparison with other Asian areas - she reported Taiwan - still it remains a tough sell. "Hermano" and "Fase 7," both tested finally year's Ventana Sur, also lie at most accessible finish from the art house scale.Lately closing Russia (Maywin Media), Belgium (TV Polska) and China, Marcel Rasquin's directorial debut "Hermano" is really a wider-audience Caracas mean roads tale of two bros' soccer dreams.A dark apocalypse comedy, "Fase 7" toplines Daniel Hendler ("Lost Embrace") like a husband taking care of his seven-several weeks-pregnant wife, just like a mortal epidemic hits Buenos Aires.As always more art-house purchasers seek feel-good, accessible or arty genre game titles, the question mark hanging over many Latin American films is whether or not they are large and audience-friendly enough to be able to attract sales people, so subsequent sales. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

10 Hot Visual Effects Teams Reveal How They Made Movie Magic on 'Harry Potter,' 'Captain America,' 'Transformers'

True Grit star Hailee Steinfeld is in negotiations to join the cast of the sci-fi action thriller Ender's Game.our editor recommendsTalent Managers Sue Author Orson Scott Card Over 'Ender's Game' Commissions (Exclusive)'Ender's Game' Lands at Summit The Oscar-nominated actress, who has not made a movie since her breakout role in the 2010 Coen brothers hit, will join Hugo star Asa Butterfield in the adaptation of the 1985 Orson Scott Card novel, which is being co-financed by Odd Lot Entertainment and Summit Entertainment. Summit is planning to release the film in March 2013. X-Men Origins: Wolverine filmmaker Gavin Hood is writing and directing. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are producing via their Kurtzman Orci Paper Products shingle. Ender's Game centers on a futuristic military academy where children are trained to fight an invading alien force. Butterfield is playing the title character and Steinfeld would play the lone female in the child army who develops a relationship with the lead character. Steinfeld is attached to star in an independent film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, as well as an adaptation of the sci-fi novel Forgotten at Paramount. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 10 Biggest Book-to-Big Screen Adaptations of the Last 25 Years Related Topics Hailee Steinfeld Ender's Game