SHOW BIZ: Weekend Movie Box Office Update: January 29 - January 31, 2010

 

Rank	Film	Distributor	Weekend Total	# Of Screens	Weeks Playing	Cumulative Box Office
1	Avatar	Fox	$31,280,029	3,074	7	$594,472,000
2	Edge of Darkness	Warner Bros.	$17,214,384	3,066	1	$17,120,000
3	When in Rome	Disney	$12,350,041	2,456	1	$12,065,000
4	Tooth Fairy	Fox	$9,998,109	3,345	2	$26,106,000
5	Book of Eli	Warner Bros.	$8,908,286	3,075	3	$74,373,000

 For more information, access the complete chart on  boxofficemojo.com. 

 1. "Avatar:" A paraplegic ex-marine finds a new life on the distant  planet of Pandora, only to find himself battling humankind alongside  the planet's indigenous Na'vi race in this ambitious digital 3D sci-fi  epic from Academy Award-winning Titanic director James Cameron.  The film, which marks Cameron's first dramatic feature since 1997's  Titanic, follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a war veteran who  gets called to the depths of space to pick up the job of his slain    twin brother for the scientific arm of a megacorporation looking to  mine the planet of Pandora for a valued ore. Unfortunately the  biggest deposit of the prized substance lies underneath the home of  the Na'vi, a ten-foot-tall, blue-skinned native tribe who have been  at war with the security arm of the company, lead by Col. Miles  Quaritch (Stephen Lang). Because of the planet's hostile  atmosphere, humans have genetically grown half-alien/half-human  bodies which they can jack their consciousnesses into and explore  the world in. Since Jake's brother already had an incredibly expensive Avatar grown for him, he's able to connect with it using the same DNA code and experience first-hand the joys of Pandora while giving the scientific team, led by Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) and Norm Spellman (Joel David Moore), some well-needed protection against the planet's more hostile forces.  On a chance meeting after getting separated from his team, Jake's Avatar is rescued by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), a Na'vi princess, who brings him into her tribe in order to give the humans a second chance at relating to this new environment. When word gets out of his increasing time with the alien species, Quaritch enlists Jake to do some reconnaissance for the company, as they'd like to persuade the tribe to move their home before taking more drastic measures to harness the treasure hidden below. Yet as Jake becomes one with the tribe and begins to understand the secrets of Pandora, his conscience is torn between his new adopted world and the wheelchair-bound one awaiting him when the psychic connection to his Avatar is broken. Soon battle lines are drawn and Jake needs to decide which side he will fight on when the time comes. - Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

2. "Edge of Darkness:" Casino Royale's Martin Campbell returns to familiar territory with this adaptation of his own 1985 BBC miniseries -- a mystery starring Mel Gibson as a detective looking into his political-activist daughter's death and uncovering layers of governmental conspiracies in the process. William Monahan (The Departed) provides the screenplay for the GK Films production, co-starring Ray Winstone and Danny Huston. - Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

3. "When in Rome:" Disillusioned with romance during her whirlwind trip to Rome, an ambitious New Yorker defiantly swipes a few magic coins from a "foolish" wishing fountain, inadvertently igniting the passions of a motley crew of suitors as she's pursued by a handsome reporter with charm to spare. Beth (Kristen Bell) is at a point in her life where love seems like a luxury she just can't afford. Years of waiting for that perfect romance has made Beth bitter, and one day, while vacationing in Rome, she cynically plucks a handful of coins from a local fountain of love. Almost immediately thereafter, Beth finds herself fending off the advances of a diminutive sausage magnate (Danny DeVito), a lanky street magician (Jon Heder), a doting painter (Will Arnett), and a narcissistic male model (Dax Shepard). Meanwhile, a smitten reporter (Josh Duhamel) does his best to convince Beth that true love isn't just a topic of fairy tales and romance novels. - Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

4. "Tooth Fairy:" Dwayne Johnson is 'The Tooth Fairy,' also known as Derek Thompson, a hard-charging minor league hockey player whose nickname comes from his
habit of separating opposing players from their bicuspids. When Derek discourages a youngster's hopes, he's sentenced to one week's hard labor as a real tooth fairy, complete with the requisite tutu, wings and magic wand. At first, Derek "can't handle the tooth" - bumbling and stumbling as he tries to furtively wing his way through strangers' homes...doing what tooth fairies do. But as Derek slowly adapts to his new position, he begins to rediscover his own forgotten dreams.

5. "The Book of Eli:" In a post-apocalyptic America where the once-picturesque countryside has become a desolate and violent wasteland, one man (Denzel Washington) fights to protect that sacred tome that could hold the key to the survival of the human race in this futuristic thriller from filmmaking duo Albert and AlLen Hughes (From Hell and Dead Presidents). Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, and Ray Stevenson co-star in the Warner Bros. production. - Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide