‘Dear John’ Unseats ‘Avatar’ As Weekly Box Office Leader

Never underestimate the power of a good cry. “Dear John,” a movie aimed squarely at your tearducts, has pulled in an estimated $32 million in its opening weekend, bringing an end to the two-month run of James Cameron’s “Avatar” at the top of the box office leaderboard.

Earlier reports had “Avatar” hanging on to the number one spot, but a Saturday night surge gave “Dear John” the momentum it needed to pull off the coup.

The other new release didn’t fare as well: John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers’ action flick “From Paris With Love” landed with a thud, earning $8.1 million in third place.

More milestones for “Avatar” this week, with the 3D epic passing “Titanic” as the highest-grossing film of all time in America on Tuesday. It’s brought in over $630 million domestically, part of the $2.12 billion in global receipts since December 17.

Here’s the week’s top five estimate numbers, courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo.com:

WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, FEBRUARY 5-7, 2010

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

1. Dear John (Sony / Screen Gems)
$32.4 million | 2,969 | $32.4 million | 1

2. Avatar (Fox)
$23.6 million | 3,000 | $630.1 million | 8

3. From Paris with Love (Lionsgate)
$8.1 million | 2,722 | $8.1 million | 1

4. Edge of Darkness (Warner Bros.)
$7.0 million | 3,066 | $29.1 million | 2

5. Tooth Fairy (Fox)
$6.5 million | 3,218 | $34.3 million | 3