"Avatar" loses box appointment acme to "Dear John"

LOS ANGELES – It had to appear sometime, but cipher accepted the better blur of all time to lose its North American box appointment acme this weekend to "Dear John," a low-budget "chick flick" with a brace of abstruse stars.

The adventurous ball opened at No. 1 with three-day sales of $32.4 amateur beyond the United States and Canada, crushing both industry forecasts and ascendant champ "Avatar," according to flat estimates issued on Sunday.

James Cameron's 3D sci-fi amazing slipped to No. 2 with $23.6 amateur in its eighth weekend. But "Avatar" remained the top aces overseas, earning $76 million. Its common account rose to $2.21 billion, disconnected amid $630.1 amateur from North America and $1.58 billion from adopted markets.

"Avatar" aftermost Tuesday surpassed the $601 amateur booty of Cameron's 1997 absolution "Titanic" to become the better cine of all time in North America. It had already taken the all-embracing and common titles from "Titanic" acknowledgment to ticket-price aggrandizement and the college amount of 3D screenings.

Pundits had anticipation the 20th Century Fox absolution would lose its North American acme abutting weekend to "Valentine's Day," which will booty advantage of both the eponymous anniversary and the U.S. Presidents Day weekend.

But few predicted that "Dear John" would account a charge to cine theaters by adolescent women. Moreover, the able demographic appeared to avoid the blast that shut bottomward a ample bind of the mid-Atlantic region.

"When they appear out, adolescent women appear out in droves," said Geoffrey Ammer, admiral of common business at the film's carefully captivated financier Relativity Media.

He said the aboriginal beachcomber of admirers texted and Tweeted their accompany during the screenings to bear their favorable verdicts, triggering added waves.

MEN "KICKING AND SCREAMING"

Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried brilliant as lovers whose affair is concise by the September 11 attacks. It was directed by Swedish filmmaker Lasse Hallstrom and based on "The Notebook," a atypical by Nicholas Sparks.

The blur was broadcast by Sony Corp's mid-budget characterization Screen Gems, afterwards Time Warner Inc's New Line Cinema assemblage dumped the $25 amateur project. Screen Gems said audiences for the blur were 84 percent changeable and about two-thirds were beneath the age of 21.

Ammer said the scattering of men "dragged blame and screaming" to the cine appeared to adore it, and he hoped articulate would accompany in added of them. Critics abundantly ripped the movie.

John Travolta's latest box appointment offering, "From Paris With Love," was the actor's affliction alpha in about a decade. The abomination abstruseness opened at No. 3 with $8.1 million. Distributor Lionsgate had hoped for an aperture in the mid-teen millions, and said the blast did not advice business. Critics were additionally unkind.

Travolta's antecedent affliction aperture was the $4.5 amateur alpha for "Lucky Numbers" in October 2000. He was in theaters aftermost November with "Old Dogs," which opened at admission sales of $17 million.

"From Paris With Love" was fabricated by French filmmaker Luc Besson's Europa Corp, which enjoyed a common hit aftermost year with the Liam Neeson kidnap abstruseness "Taken." Pierre Morel directed both films. Lionsgate is a assemblage of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.

Also new to the top 10 was Fox Searchlight's "Crazy Heart," which broadcast nationally afterwards seven weekends in bound absolution on the heels of its three Oscar nominations on Tuesday.

The account becoming $3.65 million, jumping six places to No. 8. Its absolute stands at $11.2 million. Jeff Bridges, its star, is advised the admired to booty home the best amateur Oscar on March 7 for his role as a done country music accompanist and songwriter. Fox Searchlight and 20th Century Fox are units of News Corp.

"Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker," the closing now out on DVD, led the Oscar acreage with nine nominations each.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)