The Insider.com

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows intrigued enough moviegoers to earn the top spot at the box office over the weekend.

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Sherlock Holmes 2 debuted with $40 million, almost double the coinage of its closest competitor, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, which made $23.5 million.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol took in $13.3 million for third place, but as it only opened in 425 theaters versus Sherlock Holmes' 3,703 and Alvin and the Chipmunks' 3,723, the action movie did win the title of best per screen average.