Fueled by Christmas falling on Friday and an array of strong releases, this weekend’s domestic box office posted its biggest total gross of all-time–an estimated $285 million from Friday to Sunday.
Within that record-setting weekend, “Sherlock Holmes” posted a record Christmas weekend opening gross with $65.4 million. Yet “Holmes”‘ strong performance was not enough to win the weekend, as holdover “Avatar” claimed a second victory as its tally cruised over the $200 million mark.
“Avatar” won the weekend with $75 million and now stands at $212.3 million in cumulative gross. It lost just 2.6% from last week’s opening gross, indicative of its massive impact at the cinema.
“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” finished with an impressive $50.2 million for third place; its opening five-day gross sits at $77.1 million, far in excess of the total posted by the predecessor.
“It’s Complicated” followed with $22.1 million in its opening weekend, toppling the $11.8 million for the expanded “Up in the Air.”
“Nine” marked another Golden Globe-nominated expansion, but it did even less at the box office. The film grossed just $5.5 million this weekend for an eighth place finish.
Weekend Top Ten:
1) Avatar – $75 million ($212.3 million)
2) Sherlock Holmes – $65.4 million
3) Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel – $50.2 million ($77.1 million)
4) It’s Complicated – $22.1 million
5) Up in the Air – $11.8 million ($24.5 million)
6) The Blind Side – $11.7 million ($184.4 million)
7) The Princess and the Frog – $8.7 million ($63.4 million)
8) Nine – $5.5 million ($5.9 million)
9) Did You Hear About the Morgans? – $5 million ($15.6 million)
10) Invictus – $4.4 million ($23.4 million)