Dear John Knocks Avatar Out of First

Screen Gems' new drama Dear John , starring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried, took the industry by surprise and kept James Cameron's Avatar from topping the domestic box office for an eighth straight time. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom and based on the Nicholas Sparks novel, Dear John earned an estimated $32.4 million from 2,969 theaters, a strong average of $10,913 per theater. The film was made for about $25 million and the studio said its audiences were 84% female and two-thirds were under the age of 21. Screen Gems had hoped for an opening of about $20 million for the movie, which set a new Super Bowl weekend record, surpassing 2008's Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour ($31.1 million).

Read more