Box Office Review – Dec. 20 – ‘Avatar’ crushes ‘The Princess and the Frog’

WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, DECEMBER 18-20, 2009

Rank. Movie Title – Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #

1. Avatar – $73.0 million | 3,452 | $73.0 million | 1

Bayer’s TSR – 7/10
The Many Questions of ‘Avatar’

2. The Princess and the Frog – $12.2 million | 3,475 | $44.8 million | 4

Lehar’s TSR – 8/10
He Said – She Said … The Princess and the Frog

3. The Blind Side – $10.0 million | 3,407 | $164.7 million | 5

Bayer’s TSR – 7/10

4. Did You Hear About the Morgans? – $7.0 million | 2,718 | $7.0 million | 1

Allen’s TSR – 2/10

5. The Twilight Saga: New Moon – $4.4 million | 3,035 | $274.6 million | 5

McLaughlin’s TSR – 8/10
Allen’s TSR – 4/10
Bayer’s Quickcard – 5/10
He Said – She Said … The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)

Avatar wins the box office, but it just barely missed out of being the best December opening of all time. That claim goes to I Am Legend at $73 million. Avatar was able to beat Lord of the Rings: Return of the King by a couple hundred thousand.

Up in the Air, only playing in 175 theaters was able to sneak into No. 8 at the box office, expect that to rise once it goes wide.

Next week, Sherlock Holmes and many others will look to knock blue monkey-cat out of the top spot at the box office.