Downey Dips, Sherlock Slips With $40M Debut

First Published: December 18, 2011 1:22 PM EST Credit: FilmMagic LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Caption Robert Downey Jr. is seen leaving a press conference for the new film Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, London, on December 12, 2011Sherlock Holmes is facing his worst enemy: declining crowds at the box office. Robert Downey Jr.s sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows debuted on top with a $40 million weekend, off 36 percent from the first installments $62.3 million debut two years ago. The first movie opened over Christmas weekend, one of the busiest times for movie theaters. Distributor Warner Bros. predicts the Holmes sequel will make up the lost ground over the holidays. But overall business was down again, a sign of the times as Hollywood struggles to interest audiences in its big year-end releases. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked did even worse than Holmes. 'Chipwrecked opened at No. 2 with $23.5 million, about half the business the first two Chipmunks movies did on their debut weekends. Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.