Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried in Dear John
A blonde socialite and a hunky military type have dethroned James Cameron and his Na'vi from atop the box-office charts.
With $32.4 million, Lasse Hallström’s tearjerker Dear John far surpassed Avatar’s $23.6 million at the US/Canada box office this weekend, according to estimates provided by Box Office Mojo. Starring Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum, Dear John chronicles the long-distance affair between two star-crossed lovers, kept apart by terrorists, wars, and tears.
Avatar has lost an estimated 24.6 percent in revenues from the previous weekend, which may be partly explained by the Super Bowl being held on Sunday; the film has generally dropped somewhere between 10 and 20 percent each week. Twelve years ago, Titanic remained on top for a total of 15 weekends. How well Dear John will keep up remains to be seen. In other words: inveterate Avatarites shouldn't despair, as the 3D sci-fier may recoup its top position next week.
Or it may not. Next weekend offers Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins in The Wolfman, an all-star cast that includes Julia Roberts, Taylor Lautner, and Bradley Cooper in Valentine's Day, and the fantasy-adventure Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.
In other words: Avatar's reign may indeed be over.
Photo: Dear John (Scott Garfield / Dear John, LLC)