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The statistic to keep in mind, I think, is that Avatar](http://www.cinematical.com/2009/12/11/avatar-review/)'s $73 million opening weekend is the second best December opening ever, behind *I Am Legend, *which was almost an hour shorter and did not have to deal with a blizzard that paralyzed much of the northeast corridor. So (my ridiculously hasty prediction last week notwithstanding) I don’t think Fox and James Cameron have much to worry about or fear. Especially considering that the movie has already raked in $160 million overseas. And especially considering that of the 30 movies that have had heftier opening weekends, precisely zero were originals – i.e. not sequels, remakes or adaptations – unless you count The Passion of the Christ. And especially considering that the word-of-mouth on *Avatar *will probably be otherworldly.
The weekend’s counterprogramming was the poorly reviewed rom-com Did You Hear About the Morgans?](http://www.cinematical.com/2009/12/18/review-did-you-hear-about-the-morgans/), which took in a middling $7 million – actually not very much off-par for Hugh Grant, who’s never really been able to open a movie. (The jury’s still out on Sarah Jessica Parker outside of Sex and the City.) Continuing to perform well were Oscar contenders The Blind Side](http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/20/review-the-blind-side/) (which will probably end up just shy of $200 million) and Up in the Air (which continued its slow roll-out and will go wide on Christmas day). The Princess and the Frog](http://www.cinematical.com/2009/12/11/review-the-princess-and-the-frog/) did not hold up too well, but its returns may improve over the holiday break.
The full top 10 after the jump.