Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol's super agent Ethan Hunt has beaten Robert Downey Jr.'s super sleuth Sherlock Holmes to the top of the U.S. box office.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol took over at number one on Sunday with a $26.5 million second-weekend take.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows dropped a spot to two with $17.8 million.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked claimed the third spot and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo debuted at four. Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin rounded out the Christmas Day top five.