What? 'Avatar' felled by a 'chick flick?' Stereotypes aside, audiences seeking an alternative to the 3D blockbuster found themselves entranced by the romantic drama of 'Dear John.' That left little affection for John Travolta in 'From Paris with Love' in this exciting Super Bowl weekend match-up.
The dynamic duo of Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried in "Dear John" now has the distinction of ending the powerful reign of James Cameron's "Avatar." The Screen Gems film adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel courted headlines with its opening weekend total of $30.5 million from 2,969 theaters. Aided by the strong interest of an overlooked demographic and female audience sector, plus a strong grassroots campaign (including screenings for military families), film surged to the second biggest opening for a Super Bowl weekend. (The debut of the 2008 "Hannah Montana" 3D concert film with $31.1M remains the record holder.)
Industry pundits were still caught by surprise by the counterprogramming strength displayed by "Dear John," which effectively ended the reign of "Avatar' as the nation's top film attraction after seven consecutive weeks. Now entering its eighth session, the Oscar-nominated blockbuster earned $22.9 million, bringing its massive North American total up to $629.3 million.
The arrival of "From Paris with Love" with John Travolta failed to ignite with audiences. The action thriller from the makers of 2009's "Taken" (director Pierre Morel and producer Luc Besson) which also posted a strong debut during a Super Bowl weekend, failed to repeat their success at the multiplex. The film earned a mild $8.2 million from 2,722 locations. Rounding out the Weekend Final Five were the Mel Gibson-starrer "Edge of Darkness" with $6.9 million ($28.9M to date) and the family comedy stylings of Dwayne Johnson in "Tooth Fairy" with $6.6 million ($34.4M to date).
With the "Who Will Topple 'Avatar' Sweepstakes" now over, the box office prospects may have increased for a trio of Hollywood heavyweights. Will they choose the oft-delayed chills of "The Wolfman?" Or will lightning strike for "Percy Jackson & the Olympians?" Perhaps love will remain in the air for the A-list candy box of stars in "Valentine's Day?" Find out next week in Examiner.com.
Those Angelenos seeking to discover more on the Weekend Final Five should click on Fandango for theater and ticket information.
Keep reading the Personalities page on Examiner.com for the latest box office updates, plus celebrity and industry news.
This week's spotlight film: Will "The Wolfman" be cursed or blessed with big box office?
Comments
Knowing that a majority of studios release films like this during super bowl weekend, this isn't that much of a surprise. Great review.
Actually, Michael. "Dear John" kind of is a surprise, particularly over its box office strength. Despite the obvious counterprogramming during a Super Bowl weekend, a lot of insiders did not take the film seriously. Reviews were fair and the post-Oscar increases experienced by "Avatar" and other films were the focus of pundit attention. (Also, the Super Bowl match-up has generated a lot of interest, too.)
Still, "Dear John" pulled it out and revealed what happens when you ignore certain factors, like gender and demographics. A lot of media thought the drop of "Avatar" would happen with the arrivals of "The Wolfman" or "Shutter Island," which have been aggressive with their marketing and have generated strong interest.
I can only think how this going to affect the careers of Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried. Oof. The studio folks negotiating their next projects are going to have to pay extra now.
I was gonna add that part actually. The rotten tomatoes site didn't post favorable reviews. But your right, i looked at the numbers during the super bowl weekend, the only other movie that posted these kinds of numbers is the hannah montana concert movie.
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