"Dear John" Over Takes "Avatar"
Sony-quarterbacked "Dear John" thwarted a drive by James Cameron's "Avatar" for an eighth No. 1 weekend, as the over-achieving romantic drama's wily counter-programming play scored an estimated $32.4 million in opening domestic boxoffice during Super Bowl weekend.
"Avatar" posted a $23.6 million tally to grab second place on the frame, just days after receiving nine Oscar nominations. The sci-fi epic -- which this week became the top-grossing domestic release ever, after previously setting foreign and global records -- lifted its cumulative boxoffice to $630.1 million domestically and $2.21 billion worldwide.
Lionsgate's "From Paris With Love," starring John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, was sacked by Americans' preoccupation with the pro football telecast, as the crime thriller bowed limply with $8.1 million in third place.
A pair of platform pics finally hit wide release after drawing Oscar nominations in several categories Tuesday. Fox Searchlight's Jeff Bridges starrer "Crazy Heart" -- whose topliner figured among Academy nominees -- wooed a heartfelt $3.7 million from 819 theaters for eighth place on the frame and a $11.2 million cume; Sony Pictures Classics' British drama "An Education" chalked up a lighter $915,407 from 761 locations for a $9.8 million cume.
Two sophomore-session holdovers absorbed sizable drops from week-earlier opening grosses. Warner Bros.' Mel Gibson starrer "Edge of Darkness" slid 59% to $7 million in fourth place and a $29.1 million cume, while Disney's romantic comedy "When in Rome" fell 55% to $5.5 million in sixth place with a $20.9 million cume.
Collectively, the weekend's top 10 films rung up $97.6 million. That was 21% less than top performers managed in last year's comparable frame, according to boxoffice tracker Rentrak.
An adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, "Dear John" was wholly financed by Relativity Media and distributed under the Sony Screen Gems label.
The PG-13 pic shrugged largely negative reviews amid support from audiences comprised 81% of females and 64% of patrons under age 21. The demo was targeted when a trailer from the film was included in the holidays release of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," which also played to younger females.
"This was definitely the females driving the movie, and you could see the momentum building," Relativity marketing maven Geoff Ammer said. "But I'm definitely surprised that we did as much as we did."
Directed by Lasse Hallstrom ("The Shipping News"), "Dear John" stars Channing Tatum ("G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra") and Amanda Seyfried ("Jennifer's Body"). Its opening was about $10 million higher than forecast from pre-release tracking data.
"We felt right from the beginning that we had something with this picture," Sony distribution topper Rory Bruer said. "But I don't think anybody could have anticipated that it would do this well."
The opening was the biggest ever for a Super Bowl session, surpassing a $31.1 million bow by 2008's "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour."
Helmed by Pierre Morel ("Taken"), "Paris" is rated R and attracted audiences skewing 55% male, with 71% of patrons aged 25 or older. That was a demo highly preoccupied with the pigskin telecast on Sunday, and an East Coast blizzard also hurt the pic earlier in the weekend.
"It came in lower than anticipated," Lionsgate exec vp distribution David Spitz acknowledged. "Mother Nature didn't help our cause."
"Avatar" posted a $23.6 million tally to grab second place on the frame, just days after receiving nine Oscar nominations. The sci-fi epic -- which this week became the top-grossing domestic release ever, after previously setting foreign and global records -- lifted its cumulative boxoffice to $630.1 million domestically and $2.21 billion worldwide.
Lionsgate's "From Paris With Love," starring John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, was sacked by Americans' preoccupation with the pro football telecast, as the crime thriller bowed limply with $8.1 million in third place.
A pair of platform pics finally hit wide release after drawing Oscar nominations in several categories Tuesday. Fox Searchlight's Jeff Bridges starrer "Crazy Heart" -- whose topliner figured among Academy nominees -- wooed a heartfelt $3.7 million from 819 theaters for eighth place on the frame and a $11.2 million cume; Sony Pictures Classics' British drama "An Education" chalked up a lighter $915,407 from 761 locations for a $9.8 million cume.
Two sophomore-session holdovers absorbed sizable drops from week-earlier opening grosses. Warner Bros.' Mel Gibson starrer "Edge of Darkness" slid 59% to $7 million in fourth place and a $29.1 million cume, while Disney's romantic comedy "When in Rome" fell 55% to $5.5 million in sixth place with a $20.9 million cume.
Collectively, the weekend's top 10 films rung up $97.6 million. That was 21% less than top performers managed in last year's comparable frame, according to boxoffice tracker Rentrak.
An adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, "Dear John" was wholly financed by Relativity Media and distributed under the Sony Screen Gems label.
The PG-13 pic shrugged largely negative reviews amid support from audiences comprised 81% of females and 64% of patrons under age 21. The demo was targeted when a trailer from the film was included in the holidays release of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," which also played to younger females.
"This was definitely the females driving the movie, and you could see the momentum building," Relativity marketing maven Geoff Ammer said. "But I'm definitely surprised that we did as much as we did."
Directed by Lasse Hallstrom ("The Shipping News"), "Dear John" stars Channing Tatum ("G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra") and Amanda Seyfried ("Jennifer's Body"). Its opening was about $10 million higher than forecast from pre-release tracking data.
"We felt right from the beginning that we had something with this picture," Sony distribution topper Rory Bruer said. "But I don't think anybody could have anticipated that it would do this well."
The opening was the biggest ever for a Super Bowl session, surpassing a $31.1 million bow by 2008's "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour."
Helmed by Pierre Morel ("Taken"), "Paris" is rated R and attracted audiences skewing 55% male, with 71% of patrons aged 25 or older. That was a demo highly preoccupied with the pigskin telecast on Sunday, and an East Coast blizzard also hurt the pic earlier in the weekend.
"It came in lower than anticipated," Lionsgate exec vp distribution David Spitz acknowledged. "Mother Nature didn't help our cause."
Source-THR
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