'Dear John' took over the No. 1from 'Avatar'

The romance 'Dear John' took over the No. 1 at the weekend box office from 'Avatar,' which had been on top for seven straight weeks.　　

'Dear John' (Sony/Screen Gems) which stars Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried and is based on a book by Nicholas Sparks, took in $32.4 million at the box office, according to early estimates from Hollywood.com. The movie had been panned by critics; at a recent public screening in the New York area, the crowd booed at the end.

'Avatar' (Fox) brought in $23.6 million for No. 2; 'From Paris With Love,' (Lionsgate) an action film with John Travolta, grossed $8.1 million for third place.
　

Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office division of Hollywood.com, said via email that 'Avatar' was 'knocked off its perch by the power of female audiences at the box-office.' He added that 'Believe it or not, New Line's 'Lost in Space' took the top spot away from 'Titanic' back in 1998.' 'Titantic' had spent fifteen weeks at number one.