| Est. Rank | Rank | Diff | Release
| Est. Gross | Actual | Diff | % Diff | Theaters | Estimated Total | Actual | Weekend | Distributor
| New This Week
|
|---|
| 1 | 1 | - | Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol | $26,500,000 | $29,556,629 | +$3,056,629 | +11.5% | 3,448 | $58,935,000 | $61,993,090 | 2 | Paramount Pictures | - |
| 2 | 2 | - | Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows | $17,800,000 | $20,270,555 | +$2,470,555 | +13.9% | 3,703 | $76,554,000 | $79,024,177 | 2 | Warner Bros. | - |
| 3 | 4 | +1 | Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked | $13,325,000 | $12,585,192 | -$739,808 | -5.6% | 3,683 | $50,265,000 | $49,525,379 | 2 | Twentieth Century Fox | - |
| 4 | 3 | -1 | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | $13,000,000 | $12,768,604 | -$231,396 | -1.8% | 2,914 | $21,400,000 | $21,145,077 | 1 | Sony Pictures Releasing | - |
| 5 | 5 | - | The Adventures of Tintin | $9,200,000 | $9,720,993 | +$520,993 | +5.7% | 3,087 | $17,207,000 | $17,729,016 | 1 | Paramount Pictures | - |
| 6 | 6 | - | We Bought a Zoo | $7,800,000 | $9,360,434 | +$1,560,434 | +20% | 3,117 | $7,800,000 | $9,818,920 | 1 | Twentieth Century Fox | - |
| 7 | 8 | +1 | New Year's Eve | $3,005,000 | $3,313,739 | +$308,739 | +10.3% | 2,225 | $32,342,000 | $32,650,934 | 3 | Warner Bros. | - |
| 8 | 13 | +5 | Arthur Christmas | $2,700,000 | $2,073,319 | -$626,681 | -23.2% | 1,524 | $44,200,000 | $43,541,321 | 5 | Sony Pictures Releasing | - |
| 9 | 17 | +8 | The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 | $2,100,000 | $1,466,306 | -$633,694 | -30.2% | 1,603 | $270,900,000 | $270,268,207 | 6 | Summit Entertainment | - |
| 10 | 10 | - | The Muppets | $2,003,000 | $2,145,762 | +$142,762 | +7.1% | 1,536 | $75,559,000 | $75,702,287 | 5 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | - |
| 11 | 12 | +1 | The Descendants | $1,715,000 | $2,073,371 | +$358,371 | +20.9% | 753 | $32,007,000 | $32,364,923 | 6 | Fox Searchlight Pictures | - |
| 12 | 15 | +3 | The Sitter | $1,425,000 | $1,739,165 | +$314,165 | +22% | 1,486 | $21,913,000 | $22,227,367 | 3 | Twentieth Century Fox | - |
| 13 | 18 | +5 | The Artist | $857,000 | $883,063 | +$26,063 | +3% | 167 | $2,355,000 | $2,381,493 | 5 | The Weinstein Company | - |
| 14 | 19 | +5 | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | $683,000 | $717,459 | +$34,459 | +5% | 55 | $1,784,000 | $1,819,041 | 3 | Focus Features | - |
| 15 | 20 | +5 | My Week with Marilyn | $507,000 | $561,097 | +$54,097 | +10.7% | 602 | $6,926,000 | $6,980,293 | 5 | The Weinstein Company | - |
| 16 | 23 | +7 | A Dangerous Method | $248,000 | $197,230 | -$50,770 | -20.5% | 58 | $1,044,000 | $993,457 | 5 | Sony Pictures Classics | - |
| 17 | 22 | +5 | Happy Feet Two | $237,000 | $219,513 | -$17,487 | -7.4% | 525 | $59,870,000 | $59,852,155 | 6 | Warner Bros. | - |
| 18 | 26 | +8 | Tower Heist | $185,000 | $137,255 | -$47,745 | -25.8% | 283 | $76,298,000 | $76,250,170 | 8 | Universal Pictures | - |
| 19 | 25 | +6 | J. Edgar | $147,000 | $142,139 | -$4,861 | -3.3% | 455 | $36,059,000 | $36,054,409 | 7 | Warner Bros. | - |
| 20 | 27 | +7 | Real Steel | $128,000 | $136,939 | +$8,939 | +7% | 227 | $83,954,000 | $83,962,784 | 12 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | - |
| 21 | 28 | +7 | Shame | $120,000 | $123,574 | +$3,574 | +3% | 53 | $1,527,000 | $1,530,991 | 4 | Fox Searchlight Pictures | - |
| 22 | 37 | +15 | Carnage | $70,400 | $58,216 | -$12,184 | -17.3% | 7 | $188,100 | $175,871 | 2 | Sony Pictures Classics | - |
| 23 | 35 | +12 | Pina | $62,300 | $68,012 | +$5,712 | +9.2% | 3 | $62,300 | $68,012 | 1 | IFC Films | - |
| 24 | 48 | +24 | In the Land of Blood and Honey | $18,100 | $18,854 | +$754 | +4.2% | 3 | $18,100 | $18,854 | 1 | FilmDistrict | - |
| 25 | 54 | +29 | The Three Musketeers | $8,000 | $8,207 | +$207 | +2.6% | 37 | $20,357,900 | $20,358,120 | 10 | Summit Entertainment | - |
| 26 | 60 | +34 | 50/50 | $5,000 | $3,694 | -$1,306 | -26.1% | 31 | $35,005,100 | $35,003,812 | 13 | Summit Entertainment | - |
