Film+TV
'Dear John' dethrones 'Avatar'
How did a weepy romance with no-name actors claim a box office victory over the biggest movie of all time?<!--EndFragment-->
posted on February 8, 2010, at 7:33 AM
After seven weeks atop the U.S. box office, "Avatar" was just beaten by the unlikeliest of competitors. "Dear John," a poorly-reviewed "chick flick" starring minor actors, raked in $32 million over the weekend, besting "Avatar"'s $24 million take and surprising industry observers. While the producers of "Dear John" credit a "brilliant" marketing strategy that turned out teen girls in droves, Time's Richard Corliss, suggests that "Avatar" underpreformed last weekend because its primary audience, men, stayed home to watch the Super Bowl. Watch an AP report on "Dear John"'s unexpected box office win:
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