Tom Cruise, Weekend Box Office | featured news

The weekend was very kind to last week’s one and only new release, Oblivion. Otherwise, the charts have remained more or less static since last weekend. Oblivion did quite well in the box office, making over $38.1 million; while this is at the bottom end of its predicted range for its opening weekend gross, it’s still a respectable sum, and the film can probably expect similarly impressive numbers in later weeks.

Tom Cruise appears to have left behind his weird period, at least at the North American box office. “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol,” which features the 49-year-old Mr. Cruise scaling buildings and sprinting through sandstorms, repeated as the No. 1 attraction at movie theaters over the holiday weekend, taking in about $31.3 million for a three-week total of $134 million. “Ghost Protocol,” directed by Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”), has sold over $200 million in scattered release overseas.

Tom Cruise’s latest mission has won a holiday weekend that’s shaping up with some silent nights at movie theaters as business continues to lag. Studio estimates Sunday place “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” a solid No. 1 with $26.5 million domestically over its first weekend in full release.

Nice try but no kewpie doll for the overgrown kids. Sony's ensemble comedy "Grown Ups" opened impressively during the weekend with an estimated $41 million in domestic boxoffice. But Disney/Pixar's 3D three-quel "Toy Story 3" easily repeated at #1 with a $59 million sophomore session -- just 47% less loot than in the previous frame -- yielding $226.6 million in cumulative coin. Fox/New Regency's "Knight and Day," starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz," landed in third place with $20.5 million on the weekend and a $27.8 million cume since its Wednesday bow.