James Cameron’s Avatar has done it! The sci-fi action adventure raced past $1 billion worldwide this weekend after earning another stunning $68.3 million domestically and reaching a total of $670.2 million on the international circuit. On the domestic front, Avatar lifted its total gross to $352.1 million after only 17 days in release. The film scored a solid average of $19,724 per theater at 3,461 locations, easily beating its competition at the North American box office. Avatar stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and Sigourney Weaver.
At No. 2, Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes bagged $38.3 million, reaching a cume of $140.6 million after a superb two-week run. The film starring Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, and Rachel McAdams finished with an average of $10,586 per theater at 3,626 locations.
Also performing well was Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, which picked up another $36.6 million and brought is domestic total to $157.3 million at No. 3. For comparison's sake, the first film finished its domestic run with $217.3 million.
Still at No. 4 was Nancy Meyers’ comedy It’s Complicated, starring Meryl Streep (above, with John Krasinski and Caitlin Fitzgerald), Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin, which pulled in $18.7 million for a total haul of $59.1 million. Following in fifth place with $12.6 million was Sandra Bullock's The Blind Side, which finally passed the $200 million mark (it's now at $209 million).
Meanwhile, Up in the Air picked up $11.3 million in ticket sales at 1,895 locations, reaching a cumulative gross of $45 million. The Jason Reitman-directed drama with George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick finished sixth on the chart this weekend.
Disney’s The Princess and the Frog earned $10 million at No. 7, lifting its total gross to $86 million. At No. 8, Did You Hear About the Morgans?, the much-panned Sarah Jessica Parker-Hugh Grant vehicle, generated $5.2 million for a cume of $25.6 million.
Rounding out the top 10 this weekend were Rob Marshall's Nine, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, and Marion Cotillard, among others, which grossed $4.3 million in ninth place ($14 million total), and Clint Eastwood's Invictus, with Morgan Freeman (as Nelson Mandela) and Matt Damon, which earned $4.1 million (cume: $30.7 million).
Chris Weitz's The Twilight Saga: New Moon is now out of the top ten. Even so, the Robert Pattinson-Kristen Stewart-Taylor Lautner (above) vampire-human-werewolf romance took in another $3.6 million ($287.7 million total), followed by Brothers, starring Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Natalie Portman at #12, with $1.6 million ($27.5 million total).
What a great way to start 2010 at the box office, huh? Keep going to the movies folks!
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)
Photos: The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Kimberley French / Summit Entertainment), Sherlock Holmes (Alex Bailey / Warner Bros.), Avatar (WETA / 20th Century Fox), It's Complicated (Melinda Sue Gordon / Universal)