Cruise, "MI4" lead box office at end of weak year

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Tom Cruise's latest "Mission: Impossible" movie earned a second consecutive box-office crown over the four-day New Year's holiday weekend, according to studio estimates released on Monday.

"Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" brought in an estimated $38.3 million at U.S. and Canadian ticket windows from Friday through Monday, distributor Paramount Pictures said.

In second place, detective sequel "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" brought in $26.5 million. Third place belonged to family film sequel "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" with $21.0 million.

Paramount is a division of Viacom Inc. Time Warner Inc unit Warner Bros. released "Sherlock Holmes," and News Corp unit 20th Century Fox distributed "Chipwrecked."

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Jackie Frank)