Avatar Knocked Off Its Perch

Hit by a reduced audience because of the Superbowl and some creative Superbowl counter-programming on the part of estrogen-fest Dear John (which grossed an estimated $32.4M, the highest gross ever during the Superbowl weekend), Avatar has finally fallen from the #1 spot on the box office chart in its eighth weekend.  While the film's incredible box office run is certainly far from over, it won't have a shot at one of Titanic's few remaining box office records, most consecutive weeks at #1 (Titanic's record is 15 weeks).

It is worth noting, however, that 47 days into Avatar's run, Titanic's all-time domestic box office gross has now been defeated.  Avatar now holds the record for domestic, international and worldwide grosses.  Inflation-adjusted is a completely different picture, of course, but the reality is that only two months ago, many people wondered if Avatar would ever be able to turn a profit.  Now the only question is how long do audiences have to wait for the inevitable sequels?