The king is dead.
The earthbound romance movie “Dear John” managed to do what no other film could do in the last seven weeks — knock the sci-fi epic “Avatar” from the top spot at the box office.
Released by Sony’s Screen Gems, “Dear John” debuted as the No. 1 movie, with $32.4 million, according to studio estimates yesterday.
“Avatar” slipped to No. 2, with $23.6 million, raising its domestic total to $630.1 million. Directed by James Cameron, 20th Century Fox’s “Avatar” surpassed Cameron’s own “Titanic,” which had held the domestic-revenue record at $600.8 million.
With a record $2.2 billion worldwide, “Avatar” also has soared past “Titanic’s” $1.8 billion.
“Avatar” still is going strong after eight weeks, with the added luster of a monthlong buildup to the Academy Awards on March 7, where it is a front-runner to win Best Picture.