Avatar Tops Largest Box Office Weekend in History

In what turned out to be the highest grossing weekend in box office history Avatar came in #1 and nearly matched its first weekend while Sherlock Holmes, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and It’s Complicated all opened strong. A total of $278 million was spent at the box office shattering the previous record for a weekend which came in June 2008 with the release of The Dark Knight.

Seeing only a 3% drop Avatar was able to make $75 million over the weekend after pulling in $77 million its opening three days. Most blockbusters would see 45-75% drops in a second weekend. The astonishing hold now makes comparisons to Titanic’s run legitimate though the thing to monitor will be longevity through January and February. Titanic went 12 weeks before it fell below $20 million for a weekend. Avatar could be in for a similarly long and healthy run in theaters. The exceptional word-of-mouth and higher priced tickets from 3D and IMAX screens are certainly big contributors to its success.

Avatar has made $212 million domestically in just 10 days and has a worldwide total of $617 million. It now seems like a distant memory the criticism being launched at the film in the time leading up to its release. Certainly it was fair to question whether it would be able to achieve profitability considering its huge budget. No one really knows how much was spent but $450 million seems to be a number most are comfortable with throwing out there. Regardless the most expensive movie ever made is profitable after 10 days which is astonishing to consider. James Cameron will become the first director to have two $1 billion films.

Sherlock Holmes broke the record for Christmas Day opening beating out the $14.4 million that was set last year by Marley and Me. With $24.9 on Friday it even claimed #1 on that day over Avatar but it couldn’t sustain that through the weekend. Sherlock made $65.4 million for the weekend which exceeded industry expectations. Considering how well it opened a sequel looks like all but a formality. Warner Brothers had hoped that Sherlock could become a new franchise and may have gotten their wish.

In third place it was Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squekquel which pulled in $50.2 million and has $77.1 in its five days of release. Sadly a third Alvin movie seems inevitable. The first made $217 million and this one could come near $200 million as well.

The adult oriented comedy It’s Complicated finished with $22.1 million. While its appeal is limited and reviews have been mediocre the film has resonated with the crowd it attempted to target. It should hold up well over the next couple weeks.

One of the best films of the year Up in the Air finally expanded to wide release after going through the whole month in limited. It made $11.8 million which is a solid take considering the competition and it not being a “destination” movie for the weekend. Prospects look good going forward considering word-of-mouth and awards season bringing it added exposure.

The other limited release that expanded was the musical Nine. It was only able to draw $5.5 million for the weekend. Generally movies build up over the course of a few weeks when they begin in limited but Nine didn’t gain any momentum as it went from limited to wide in just one week. Originally tapped as an Oscar contender the movie has received lukewarm response and negative reviews.

1- Avatar $75.0 ($212.3)
2- Sherlock Holmes $65.4 (Open)
3- Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel $50.2 (Open)
4- It’s Complicated $22.1 (Open)
5- Up in the Air $11.8 ($24.5)
6- The Blind Side $11.7 ($184.4)
7- The Princess and the Frog $8.7 ($63.4)
8- Nine $5.5 ($5.9)
9- Did You Hear about the Morgans? $5.0 ($15.6)
10- Invictus $4.4 ($23.4)