Continuing to blow away the competition and box office records, Avatar [AVATR] accumulated an estimated $68.3 million, the best third weekend ever beating Spider-Man's $45 million in 2002. The sci-fi adventure tailed off merely 10% from the previous weekend. Avatar has already amassed $352 million after just 17 days and is on pace to surpass The Dark Knight's $533 million to become the second biggest film after Titanic's $601 million.
Sherlock Holmes [SHOLM] edged out Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel [ALVN2] for second place, $38.4 million to $36.6 million. The Victorian Era-set thriller declined 38% from its opening weekend, while the family musical decreased 25%.
It's Complicated [CMPLC] finished fourth with $18.7 million, down just 15% from its debut. The R-rated comedy has totaled $59 million.
The Blind Side remained a force in the top five, earning $12.7 million to surpassed the $200 million mark in its seventh weekend.
| Rank | TITLE | F-S-S | TOTAL |
| 1 | AVATAR | $68,300,000 | $352,111,074 |
| 2 | SHERLOCK HOLMES | $38,385,000 | $140,675,000 |
| 3 | ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL | $36,600,000 | $157,345,269 |
| 4 | IT'S COMPLICATED | $18,700,135 | $59,104,880 |
| 5 | THE BLIND SIDE | $12,650,000 | $209,052,000 |
| 6 | UP IN THE AIR | $11,350,000 | $45,020,000 |
| 7 | THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG | $10,013,000 | $86,085,000 |
| 8 | DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS? | $5,000,000 | $25,500,000 |
| 9 | NINE | $4,250,000 | $14,047,000 |
| 10 | INVICTUS | $4,130,000 | $30,755,000 |
| 11 | THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON | $3,605,000 | $287,752,522 |
| 12 | 3 IDIOTS | $1,500,000 | $4,800,000 |
Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.
Tag(s): AVATR, SHOLM, ALVN2, CMPLC