'Avatar' tops $212M at box office

James Cameron's sci-fi epic "Avatar" topped the box office this weekend with an estimated $75 million, beating back strong challenges from "Sherlock Holmes" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" in what was the biggest weekend in box office history.

"Avatar" has grossed an estimated $212.3 million domestically in just two weeks of release, earning back its production costs and putting it at No. 7 on the list of the Top 10 biggest money-makers of the year.

Americans spent an estimated $278 million at the movies over the Christmas weekend. The previous record was set in July 2008, the weekend "The Dark Knight" hit theaters.

The week leading up to Christmas also saw box-office receipts top $10 billion for the first time, making 2009 the biggest year ever for movies.

Here's this weekend's Top 5 films based on studio estimates posted at BoxOfficeMojo.com --

WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, DECEMBER 25-27, 2009

Rank. Movie Title (Distributor)
Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #

1. Avatar (Fox)
$75.0 million | 3,456 | $212.3 million | 2

2. Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros.)
$65.4 million | 3,626 | $65.4 million | 1

3. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (Fox)
$50.2 million | 3,700 | $77.1 million | 1

4. It's Complicated (Universal)
$22.1 million | 2,887 | $22.1 million | 1

5. Up in the Air (Paramount)
$11.8 million | 1,895 | $24.5 million | 4