Global General
'Avatar' leads box office in North America
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-12-28 16:44
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 Cast member Zoe Saldana poses at the premiere of "Avatar" at the Mann's Grauman Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California December 16, 2009.[Agencies]  |
LOS ANGELES: James Cameron's "Avatar" led the way with a healthy $75 million in projected receipts over the three-day weekend, according to numbers released on Sunday.
"Avatar," the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms, will bring Fox Studios an estimated domestic total of $212.3 million in the two weeks it has been exhibited in the United States and Canada.
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 Cast members Zoe Saldana (L) and Sam Worthington pose at the premiere of "Avatar" at the Mann's Grauman Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California December 16, 2009. The movie opens in the US on December 18.[Agencies]  |
"Sherlock Holmes" from Warner Bros. opened strongly in second place, with a $65.5-million projection.
"Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" is projected to come in third, with $50.2 million in ticket sales, Hollywood. comreported. Since it opened two days before Christmas, the Fox chipmunks have squirreled away 77 million in sales.
And the highly-advertised comedy for the older female demographic, "It's Complicated," also did well in the competitive holiday market. The Nancy Meyers rom-com opened with a $22.1-million take, Hollywood.com projected.
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 Cast members Zoe Saldana (L), Sam Worthington (C) and Sigourney Weaver attend the premiere of "Avatar" at the Mann's Grauman Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California December 16, 2009.[Agencies]  |
Rounding out the 10 highest-grossing films in sales from Friday through Sunday, as estimated by Hollywood.com, are:
-- "Up In the Air," Paramount, $11.8 million this weekend, $24.5 million over four weeks;
-- "The Blind Side," Warner Bros., $11.7 million this weekend, $184.4 million over six weeks;
-- "The Princess And The Frog," $8.7 million this weekend, $63.4 million over five weeks;
-- "Nine," Weinstein Co., $5.6 million this weekend, $5.9 million over two weeks;
-- "Did You Hear About The Morgans?," Sony, $5 million this weekend, $15.6 million over two weeks; and
-- "Invictus," Warner Bros., $4.4 million this weekend, $23.4 million over three weeks.
