Skip to content
What's After the Movie?
Mystery box office · December 2009

Mystery Box Office, December 2009: Top-Grossing Releases

Sherlock Holmes (2009) is the highest-grossing mystery movie released in December 2009, with $524M worldwide, ahead of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) at $61.8M and The White Ribbon (2009) at $19.4M. 6 mystery films released in December 2009 report a worldwide gross, $613.3M in all, 36% of it from the US & Canada. One film crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. By language, English leads with $585.8M across 2 mystery releases.

December 2009 releases with a gross
6
combined worldwide
$613.3M
film crossed $100M
1
earned in the US & Canada
36%
Sherlock Holmes (2009) movie poster #1 of 6
#1 mystery movie of December 2009

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

2009 · Action, Adventure

$524M worldwide · 85% of the chart's total

$209M US & Canada · 40% $315M elsewhere · 60%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Mystery Hits of December 2009?

Sherlock Holmes (2009) leads with $524M, 85% of the total. The top 5 together took $612.7M, almost all of what the 6 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Sherlock Holmes (2009) movie poster Number 1
    $524M Sherlock Holmes (2009)
    $209M US & Canada · 40% $315M elsewhere · 60%
  2. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) movie poster Number 2
    $61.8M The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
    $7.7M US & Canada · 12% $54.1M elsewhere · 88%
  3. The White Ribbon (2009) movie poster Number 3
    $19.4M The White Ribbon (2009)
    $2.2M US & Canada · 11% $17.1M elsewhere · 89%
  4. Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva (2009) movie poster Number 4
    $6.1M Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva (2009)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  5. D@bbe 2 (2009) movie poster Number 5
    $1.4M D@bbe 2 (2009)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Mystery Release of December 2009, Ranked by Worldwide Gross

Lifetime worldwide grosses in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation; domestic means the US & Canada. Films are grouped by their release date in December 2009.

  1. 1 Sherlock Holmes (2009) movie poster
    Sherlock Holmes (2009) Dec 25, 2009 · English · Action, Adventure, Mystery $524M worldwide
    Dec 25, 2009 US and Canada: $209M Rest of the world: $315M Worldwide: $524M
  2. 2 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) movie poster
    The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) Dec 25, 2009 · English · Adventure, Mystery, Fantasy $61.8M worldwide
    Dec 25, 2009 US and Canada: $7.7M Rest of the world: $54.1M Worldwide: $61.8M
  3. 3 The White Ribbon (2009) movie poster
    The White Ribbon (2009) Dec 30, 2009 · German · Drama, Mystery, Crime $19.4M worldwide
    Dec 30, 2009 US and Canada: $2.2M Rest of the world: $17.1M Worldwide: $19.4M
  4. 4 Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva (2009) movie poster
    Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva (2009) Dec 1, 2009 · Japanese · Animation, Family, Mystery $6.1M worldwide
    Dec 1, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $6.1M
  5. 5 D@bbe 2 (2009) movie poster
    D@bbe 2 (2009) Dec 25, 2009 · Turkish · Horror, Mystery, Fantasy $1.4M worldwide
    Dec 25, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $1.4M
  6. 6 Seven Minutes to Fall (2009) movie poster
    Seven Minutes to Fall (2009) Dec 31, 2009 · Persian · Drama, Mystery $606.6K worldwide
    Dec 31, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $606.6K
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in December 2009?

Of the top 6, Sherlock Holmes (2009) earned the biggest share at home (40% in the US & Canada), while The White Ribbon (2009) made 89% of its gross abroad. Across all 6 films, $218.9M (36%) came from the US & Canada. 3 films of the top 6 report no US & Canada figure.

  1. 1 Sherlock Holmes (2009) $524M
    $209M US & Canada · 40% $315M elsewhere · 60%
  2. 2 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) $61.8M
    $7.7M US & Canada · 12% $54.1M elsewhere · 88%
  3. 3 The White Ribbon (2009) $19.4M
    $2.2M US & Canada · 11% $17.1M elsewhere · 89%
  4. 4 Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva (2009) $6.1M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  5. 5 D@bbe 2 (2009) $1.4M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  6. 6 Seven Minutes to Fall (2009) $606.6K
    No US & Canada figure reported
Earlier years

How Does December 2009 Compare With December in Earlier Years?

Of these 10 years, December 2007 earned the most: $675.5M from 8 films, led by National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007). December 2009 took $613.3M.

Month Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
December 2000 4 films 4 $270.5M – Chocolat (2000) $152.7M
December 2001 3 films · +13% 3 $306.9M +13% Vanilla Sky (2001) $203.4M
December 2002 2 films · −98% 2 $6.2M −98% Spider (2002) $5.8M
December 2003 2 films · +1784% 2 $117.7M +1784% Paycheck (2003) $117.2M
December 2004 3 films · −99% 3 $1.4M −99% A Tale of Two Sisters (2004) $1.1M
December 2005 6 films · +9787% 6 $143.2M +9787% Hoodwinked! (2005) $110M
December 2006 8 films · +30% 8 $186.7M +30% Pan's Labyrinth (2006) $83.9M
December 2007 8 films · +262% 8 $675.5M +262% National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007) $459.2M
December 2008 4 films · −42% 4 $388.8M −42% The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) $335.8M
December 2009 6 films · +58% 6 $613.3M +58% Sherlock Holmes (2009) $524M
FAQ

Mystery Box Office December 2009: Questions & Answers

The chart's numbers in short: the #1 film, the total, the billion-dollar hits and the US & Canada share, answered from the same 6 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing mystery movie in December 2009?

Sherlock Holmes (2009) leads with $524M worldwide, $209M of it in the US & Canada. Next come The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) at $61.8M and The White Ribbon (2009) at $19.4M.

How much did mystery movies released in December 2009 earn?

6 mystery films released in December 2009 report a worldwide gross, $613.3M in all, or $102.2M per film on average.

How many mystery movies released in December 2009 made $1 billion?

None. 1 film crossed $100 million, led by Sherlock Holmes (2009) with $524M.

How much of the December 2009 Mystery box office came from the US and Canada?

$218.9M of the $613.3M total, or 36%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 3 films of the 6 report no domestic figure.

How is the December 2009 mystery box office chart ranked and where do the numbers come from?

Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date in December 2009. The figures are the reported box office grosses in our database. A gross that looks misattributed, such as one figure shared by two unrelated films or a blockbuster total on an obscure title, is left out rather than shown as a fact.

How often is the December 2009 mystery box office chart updated?

Grosses change while films are in theaters and whenever a new figure is reported; this chart reads the latest numbers in our database, so an older film can still move after a re-release.