Mission: Merrily Accomplished for Tom Cruise.

The fourth installment in the actor's "Mission: Impossible" spy-fi franchise -- this time directed by Oscar winner Brad Bird making his live-action debut -- finished in first place at the box office this weekend (Friday-Sunday), beating last weekend's top flick, "Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows."



"Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" scared up $26.5 million on 3,448 screens and has grossed nearly $59 million since its release on December 16. "Game of Shadows" brought in $17.8 million on 3,703 screens, down 55.1% from last weekend. The sequel has tallied $76.5 million since opening two weeks ago.


Hunt or Holmes? Which flick to pick? In a close battle for third, "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" ($13.3 million; $50.3 million overall) edged the opening weekend frame of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" ($13.0 million; $21.4 million cumulative).


"The Adventures of Tintin" grossed $9.1 million ($17.1 cumulative) for fifth place, followed by "We Bought a Zoo," which brought in $7.8 million in its first three days in theaters.