James Cameron’s Avatar

Sam Worthington in Avatar (WETA / 20th Century Fox)

Thanks to better than expected Sunday business, James Cameron’s Avatar grossed $77 million domestically on its opening weekend. On Friday and early Saturday, estimates ranged from $80m-$85m for the weekend, but with the sharp drop seen later on Saturday — a direct result of the winter storm battering the East Coast of the United States — estimates were lowered on Sunday to $73m.

Avatar also performed better than expected in the 106 markets where it’s currently playing. Fox estimated a $159.2m international gross, but the futuristic action-adventure ended up taking in $165.5m. Overall, Avatar grossed approximately $10m more than it was announced yesterday. Now, it’s worth remembering that Avatar made most of its business (at least domestically) in theaters that charge higher ticket prices, such as IMAX and 3D venues.

Avatar is now officially the #1 3D-movie of all time, which isn’t really saying much since most 3D films haven’t done all that well at the box office and there haven’t been all that many to begin with. Also, the film fell a notch below the official (not adjusted for inflation) December record, which has been retained by the Will Smith vehicle I Am Legend. (Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, released in late 2004, would be the actual record-holder if inflation is taken into account.)

But all is not lost: Avatar has had the biggest opening for a non-sequel or a movie not based on a book, play, comic strip, TV series, videogame, magazine article, advertising billboard, restaurant menu, or fortune-cookie prediction. And there goes 99.9% of the competition of the last 20 years, from Michael Keaton’s Batman to Robert Pattinson’s Vampire.

To date (not adjusted for inflation), the best opening weekend at the US/Canada box office belongs to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale as Batman and the then recently deceased Heath Ledger as The Joker, which earned $158m in 2008. Worldwide, the current record-holder is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The latest installment of the Harry Potter franchise starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, grossed $394m last July.

Los Angeles Times report, the last two movies to surpass first-weekend expectations — Paranormal Activity and Star Trek — did great business for weeks. But remember, initial estimates placed Avatar in the $80m-$85m range. So, we’ll see if Avatar will turn into another Titanic — or not.

As a side note, Rob Marshall’s Nine, despite mixed reviews, did solid business domestically. The musical inspired by Federico Fellini’s 8½ grossed $257,232 in four locations, or a remarkable $64,308 average. Nine stars Daniel Day-Lewis (in the old Marcello Mastroianni role), Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Sophia Loren, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, and Fergie.

Photo: WETA / 20th Century Fox