Variety reports the top movies, in terms of box office take, for the week of 17-23 February 2012. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island held onto the #3 spot, actioning up $30.1 million, for a two-week total of $63.3 million. Nicholas Cage’s new sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance opened at #4, burning up $29.0 million. Action-comedy This Means War opened at #5. Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace slipped from #4 to #6, forcing $11.4 million, for a two-week total of $37.3 million. Chronicle slipped from #5 to #7, making $10.8 million, for a three-week total of $54.3 million. Re-voiced for the US market, the animated The Secret World of Arrietty opened here at #8, earning $10.2 million. The Woman in Black slipped from #6 to #9, haunting up $9.1 million, for a three-week total of $47.7 million.
Hugo held steady at #14 (for the third straight week), clocking in $2.8 million (20% more than last week), for a thirteen-week total of $67.8 million. Underworld Awakening fell from #10 to #17, sucking up $1.7 million, for a five-week total of $61.9 million. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which last week fell out of the top 25, this week popped back up to #20, seeking out $800 thousand, for a ten-week total of $185.5 million. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked climbed from #24 to #21, singing up $800 thousand (15% more than last week), for a ten-week total of $130.0 million. The Adventures of Tintin, which last week fell out of the top 25, this week popped back up to #25, adventuring up $650 thousand, for a nine-week total of $76.6 million.
Falling out of the top 25 this week was:
Beauty and the Beast (last week’s #19) in its sixth week in release (box office total: $47.2 million)