Sherlock Holmes and the 事例／患者 of the 消えるing audiences: 2011 U.S. box office 人物／姿／数字s 攻撃する，衝突する 16-year low

By Associated 圧力（をかける）
Updated: 09:15 BST, 19 December 2011

Sherlock Holmes is 直面するing his worst enemy : 拒絶する／低下するing （人が）群がるs at theaters as this year's 国内の movie 出席 下落するs to the lowest in 16 years.

Robert Downey Jr.'s sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of 影をつくる／尾行するs debuted on 最高の，を越す with a $40 million 週末, off 36 per cent from the first 分割払い's $62.3 million 開始 two years ago, によれば studio 見積（る）s Sunday.

The first movie opened over the Christmas 週末, one of the busiest times for movie theaters.

減少（する） in 人物／姿／数字s: Robert Downey Jr.'s sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of 影をつくる／尾行するs

Distributor Warner Bros. 予報するs the Holmes sequel, which 炭坑，オーケストラ席s Downey's 探偵，刑事 against arch-競争相手 Professor Moriarty, will （不足などを）補う the lost ground over the holidays.

'The pattern is different,' said Dan Fellman, the studio's 長，率いる of 配当.

'What you can put in the bank those nine days before the 公式の／役人 Christmas play time, that's the difference between our 開始 with a bigger number on Christmas day and 開始 早期に this time. At the end of the holiday period, we should be in the same place.'

The Holmes sequel opened in six overseas markets, 含むing the 探偵，刑事's nat ive Britain, and took in $14.7 million to bring its 世界的な total to $54.7 million.

After two previous 週末s that were Hollywood's worst of the year, 全体にわたる 商売／仕事 was 負かす／撃墜する again, about 12 per cent lower than the same 週末 in 2010 as Hollywood struggles to 利益／興味 audiences in its big year-end 解放（する）s.

Paul Dergarabedian, an 分析家 for box-office tracker Hollywood.com, 概算の that the number of tickets sold 国内で in 2011 will come in below 1.3 billion.

That would be the lowest 出席 since 1995, when admissions totalled 1.26 billion.

Coming in second: Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked

国内の 出席 in modern times 頂点（に達する）d at 1.6 billion in 2002 and has been on a 拒絶する／低下する since.

'These low-出席 numbers are taking the gas out of the 戦車／タンク,' Dergarabedian said. 'All the 勢い we had 肉親，親類d of （機の）カム to a dead stop.'

The 20th Century Fox family sequel Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked did even worse than Holmes.

Chipwrecked opened at No. 2 with $23.5 million, about half the 商売／仕事 the first two Chipmunks movies did on their debut 週末s .

The studio had 推定する／予想するd a bigger debut, but with schools shutting 負かす／撃墜する for the holidays, Fox (n)役員／(a)執行力のあるs hope 商売／仕事 will 選ぶ up.

'We are 戦う／戦いing a marketplace 問題／発行する 権利 now,' said Chris Aronson, 長，率いる of 配当 for 20th Century Fox.

'We cannot make light of that. However, we have a very 満足させるing, playable movie and the only G-率d movie for Christmas. So as kids get out this week, this is going to help position it for a successful run.'

Staying away: Movie theatres have become just another 犠牲者 of the 後退，不況

Chipwrecked 追加するd $14.5 million in 38 overseas markets, bringing its 世界的な total to $38 million.

Tom 巡航する and 最高位の had a 位置／汚点／見つけ出す of good news. Their 活動／戦闘 sequel 使節団: Impossible - Ghost 議定書 got off to a healthy start at No. 3 with a $13 million 週末 playing 排他的に at 抱擁する-審査する IMAX theaters and some other large-判型 cinemas.

Ghost 議定書 goes into general 解放（する） Wednesday.

The movie already has opened in 36 overseas markets, where it pulled in $68.2 million, putting its 全世界の 運ぶ／漁獲高 at more than $80 million.

With critics 賞賛するing the movie's みごたえのある 活動／戦闘 sequences, Ghost 議定書 may 回復する the hitmaker status of 巡航する, whose audience became disenchanted with 半端物 antics in the 星／主役にする's personal life five or six years ago.

'I would think any of that is way in the past,' said Don Harris, 長，率いる of 配当 at 最高位の, which took the unusual step of going 早期に in 抱擁する-審査する cinemas to build buzz for the general 解放（する）.

'The 計画（する） was always to put the movie out into the best 贈呈 theaters in North America,' Harris said. 'We hoped that people would 認める how good the movie was and how special it was 存在 扱う／治療するd.'

最高位の's comic 演劇 Young Adult, starring Charlize Theron, had a weak 拡大 into wider 解放（する）, finishing at No. 7 with $3.7 million. The film had opened with big numbers a week earlier in a handful of theatres.

At the beginning of 2011, Hollywood's summer and 落ちる 顔触れ looked so strong that studio (n)役員／(a)執行力のあるs were pred icting the 産業 would break the 国内の box-office 記録，記録的な／記録する of $10.6 billion 始める，決める in 2009, a 示す that was nearly reached again in 2010.

But with いっそう少なく than two weeks left and 歳入s lagging four per cent behind last year's, that 記録，記録的な／記録する is out of reach. The picture is even bleaker factoring in this year's higher ticket prices, which mean 出席 is running five per cent below last year's.

Hollywood still can go out with a bang. Along with the new 使節団: Impossible, the holidays bring two more big thrillers - Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin and David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - along with Spielberg's historical epic War Horse and Cameron Crowe and Matt Damon's family-friendly comic 演劇 We Bought a Zoo.