Box Office Report: Cameron Crowe's 'We Bought a Zoo' Sluggish at No. 6; 'M:I4' Still No. 1

Cameron Crowe's We Bought a Zoo debuted in the $3 million range at the Friday box office in a soft start for the all-audience Christmas film.

our editor recommends

We Bought a Zoo: Film Review

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol: Film Review

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows: Film Review

Wrecked: Film Review

Cameron Crowe Reveals How He Seduced Matt Damon for 'We Bought a Zoo'; Names His 5 Favorite Movies

Matt Damon Faces Poverty Risk In New 'We Bought a Zoo' Clip (Video)

Box Office Report: 'Mission: Impossible 4' Stays No. 1 With $6.4 Mil Thursday

'Mission: Impossible 4' Pulls in $14 Million Worldwide From Early Imax Release

Related Topics

•Box Office Updates

The movie, from 20th Century Fox and starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson, came in No. 6 but could make up ground later on Christmas day and next week as more families become available. Zoo received a promising A CinemaScore. 

PHOTOS: 'We Bought a Zoo' Premiere Red Carpet: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson

Paramount's Tom Cruise starrer Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol continued to top the domestic box office on Friday, grossing $9.5 million to $10 million for a domestic cume north of $41 million. The movie opened last Friday in limited Imax sneaks before expanding nationwide Tuesday night.

The Brad Bird-directed film, which introduces Jeremy Renner to the espionage franchise, has earned a hearty $96 million internationally since beginning its rollout last weekend.

Skydance Productions co-financed Ghost Protocol, which is expected to post a first-place domestic gross of $40 million to $45 million for the Wednesday-Sunday stretch.

THR COVER STORY: Cameron Crowe Reveals How He Seduced Matt Damon for 'We Bought a Zoo'

After three weekends of woe at the box office, traffic has picked up this week as Christmas approaches. But the real test will be the week between Christmas and New Year's, when moviegoing spikes. With Christmas day falling on a Sunday this year, Saturday will be a wash at the multiplex because of Christmas Eve. Christmas itself can be a strong day after presents are opened.

Staying at No. 2 on Friday was Warner Bros.' Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which was on course to gross $6.5 million to $7 million for an eight-day domestic cume hovering around $65 million. The sequel -- reteaming filmmaker Guy Ritchie with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law -- continues to lag behind the original pic but hopes to narrow the gap by the new year.

PHOTOS: 15 Biggest Box Office Flops of 2011

The news wasn't all bad for Fox. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked continued to pick up steam, grossing roughly $5.3 million Friday to come in No. 3 as more and more kids got out of school. As with Game of Shadows, Chipwrecked opened well below expectations last weekend.

Sony's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo came in No. 4 in its third day of full play, grossing an estimated $4.5 million to $5 million million for a cume north of $13 million. Directed by David Fincher, the English-language adaptation of the blockbuster Swedish novel stars Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara and Christopher Plummer.

PHOTOS: 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' Premiere

Steven Spielberg's 3D family film The Adventures of Tintin, which is off to a soft start, grossed an estimated $3.5 million to $4 million Friday for a three-day cume north of $11 million.

Paramount and Sony, who partnered on Tintin, knew the movie would be a challenge in the U.S., where the cartoon character -- created by Belgian artist Herge -- isn't as well known. Tintin is already an international hit, having grossed north of $250 million.