The box office is finally on an upswing, and so is Tom Cruise's career. After a number of high-profile flops, the superstar actor scored a genuine hit with Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol. The fourth film in the M:I franchise earned $46.2 million over the holiday weekend, bringing its worldwide total to $218.6 million. That number was helped in no small part by Tom Cruise and Paula Patton's worldwide tour to promote the film.

Steven Spielberg's War Horse galloped closely behind, as did David Fincher's highly anticipated (for anyone over the age of 18) The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Those films came in at third and fourth place, respectively, just behind Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows, which held on to the No. 2 spot.
Overall, Santa delivered the gift of a healthy box office over Christmas, following three weeks of Scrooge-like numbers. With the holiday movie season officially drawing to a close, it's off to the Oscar races!
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(Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)