Avatar Gets Taken Out by Dear John

We knew it couldn't last forever. Avatar was finally knocked from its coveted #1 spot atop the box office charts, surprisingly, by the war-centric romantic drama Dear John.

Dear John took the top spot this weekend with $32.4 million, dashing hopes that Avatar would remain at #1 for eight consecutive weekends. Dear John, which is based on the popular Nicholas Sparks novel, far exceeded Screen Gems' expectations, which were set at around $20 million. The picture cost $25 million to produce.

Cameron's opus still fared well, bringing in $23.6 million, breaking the record for money earned in a film's 8th weekend, which was previously held by, of course, Titanic.

John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Myers landed in a distant 3rd place, with From Paris With Love earning only $8.1 million. Also disappointing this weekend was Mel Gibson's Edge of Darkness, which slipped 59% to land fourth with only $7 million. The $80 million movie has only earned $29.1 million so far.

Here's a quick breakdown of the top five:

1. Dear John - $32,400,000
2. Avatar - $23,600,000
3. From Paris With Love - $8,120,000
4. Edge of Darkness - $7,005,000
5. Tooth Fairy - $6,500,000