‘Avatar’ Holds Box Office Serve

Though new release “The Book Of Eli” showed a good charge on Friday, “Avatar” topped the box office for the fifth straight week, bringing in an estimated $41.3 million domestically for a total of $492 million.

Denzel Washington’s post-apocalyptic action flick “Eli” made some noise when it edged “Avatar” receipts $11.7 million to $10.4 million, but the Saturday and Sunday number were kinder to James Cameron’s epic. “Eli” finished the weekend in second place with an estimated $31.6 million.

“Avatar” declined less than 18 percent from last week’s totals, almost unheard of in modern box office.

The other major release, Jackie Chan’s “The Spy Next Door,” disappointed with a sixth-place finish on $9.7 million. Peter Jackson’s “The Lovely Bones” opened in wider release nationwide, adding 2,560 theatres and climbing to third on the weekend, bringing in $17 million and a third-place finish.

Here’s the top five from the weekend, courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo.com:

WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, JANUARY 15-17, 2010

Rank. Movie Title (Distributor)
Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #

1. Avatar (Fox)
$41.3 million | 3,285 | $491.8 million | 5

2. The Book of Eli (Warner Bros.)
$31.6 million | 3,111 | $31.6 million | 1

3. The Lovely Bones (Paramount (DreamWorks))
$17.1 million | 2,563 | $17.5 million | 6

4. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (Fox)
$11.5 million | 3,296 | $192.6 million | 4

5. Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros.)
$9.8 million | 3,173 | $180.0 million | 4