'Dear John' Knocks 'Avatar' Off Number One Box Office Perch

By Jake on

World Premiere of "Dear John".Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, CA.February 1, 2010. (Bauer Griffin)more pics »Well, it was a good run while it lasted. After dominating the box office for nearly two months, Avatar has finally been unseated from its spot at the top of the box office.

Avatar: no longer number one. (20th Century Fox)
As box office receipts come in, it looks like Dear John was the big winner at the multiplex this weekend, raking in $32.4 million. Avatar came in second, with $26.3 million.

Before you start shedding too many tears for James Cameron, its worth noting that Avatar has earned a stunning $631 million so far in North America alone, and has brought in over a billion dollars worldwide, breaking James Cameron prior record holder, Titanic.

One way that Avatar has fallen short of Titanic? Avatar was the number one picture at the box office for seven weeks straight, while Titanic held the spot for 17 weeks. Still, the sci-fi actioner has been nominated for 9 Academy Awards, and is seen by many as the likely winner for Best Picture.

See more pictures from the Dear John premiere (click any photo):