Avatar, still at the top of the North American box office, earned $3.79 million on Wednesday, according to estimates provided by Box Office Mojo. James Cameron’s sci-fi adventure saga had a relatively modest 9.5 percent drop compared to Tuesday. After 34 days out, Avatar’s total domestic take stands at $512.8m.
Written and directed by Cameron, the best picture (drama) and best director Golden Globe winner stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Laz Alonso, Giovanni Ribisi, CCH Pounder, and West Studi. The film has received nominations from the British Academy, the American Cinema Editors, the American Society of Cinematographers, the Writers Guild, the Art Directors Guild, the Directors Guild and the Producers Guild.
At #2 on Wednesday's box-office chart, Denzel Washington’s post-apocalyptic drama The Book of Eli grossed a little more than $2m (18.3 percent drop from Tuesday). Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones was #3 with $734K (22.5 percent drop). The psychological crime drama with metaphysical overtones stars BAFTA nominee Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Stanley Tucci, and Susan Sarandon.
Directed by Nancy Meyers, the Meryl Streep-Alec Baldwin-Steve Martin romantic comedy It’s Complicated was #4 with $722K (8.4 percent drop — the smallest among the day's top 12 films), closely followed by Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law, with $688K (14.6 percent drop). It's Complicated and Sherlock Holmes switched places from the day before.
Rounding out the top ten were George Clooney’s Up in the Air, Sandra Bullock’s The Blind Side, the vampire flick Daybreakers, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, and the Amy Adams-Matthew Goode romantic comedy Leap Year.
The Robert Pattinson-Kristen Stewart-Taylor Lautner drama The Twilight Saga: New Moon added another $70K.
Photo: Avatar (WETA / 20th Century Fox)