‘The Devil Inside’ tops US box office

'The Devil Inside' poster

The Devil Inside has topped the US box office in the first week of 2012.

The exorcism thriller pulls in $34.5m over the weekend, despite receiving negative reactions from both critics and audiences. Meanwhile, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol falls to number two after holding first place for two consecutive weeks.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows comes in third, taking in $14.1m to bring its domestic total to $157.4m, while The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo climbs to fourth place, earning $11.4m.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked rounds out the top five.

The US top ten in full (studio estimates):
1. (-) The Devil Inside – $34,500,000
2. (1) Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – $20,500,000
3. (2) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows – $14,100,000
4. (5) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – $11,400,000
5. (3) Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked – $9,500,000
6. (4) War Horse – $8,600,000
7. (6) We Bought a Zoo – $8,500,000
8. (7) The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn – $6,600,000
9. (-) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – $5,800,000
10. (8) New Year’s Eve – $3,300,000