M oviegoers turned their attention to a mushy Nicholas Sparks adaptation over the weekend as "Dear John" ended the seven-week run of "Avatar" as the No. 1 movie in North America. Starring two of Hollywood's ascending young actors, Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried, right, "Dear John" (Relativity Media) sold an estimated $32.4 million in tickets. [3]

UPDATE: Final numbers on Monday show Dear John grossed $30.5 million over the weekend, down nearly $2 million from estimates, and not enough to set a new Super Bowl weekend record. The Channing Tatum - Amanda Seyfried romantic drama Dear John unseated James Cameron s record-busting blockbuster at the box office, with a far-bigger-than-expected $32.4 million Friday-Sunday take, per estimates. [1]

Movie, Box Office News, Dear John (2010) Movie, From Paris With Love (2009) Movie - By Nix on February 7, 2010. [4]