There's a wacky bit of circularity in the end of the seven weeks "Avatar" spent at the top of the box office. The blockbuster juggernaut hit theaters in mid-December. Over the weeks that followed, it proceeded to shatter box office record after box office record, including the holy trinity of accomplishments -- top-grossing domestic, international and worldwide release of all-time -- held by James Cameron's previous effort, "Titanic."
The movie that ultimately unseated "Avatar" was "Dear John," a couples-friendly romantic drama that likely drew in a large number of women viewers this weekend while dudes were watching the Super Bowl. Which isn't to say that the two sexes can't find something to enjoy in both the Super Bowl and a modern-day love story; rather, I'm simply speaking to the broad demographics of each one's intended audience.
So "Avatar" was taken down by "Dear John." The epic sci-fi blockbuster lost to the romantic drama. Now let's look back to 1998. It's the first weekend in April -- prime time for the initial salvo of spring blockbusters -- and "Titanic" has ruled the box office charts for 15 weeks straight. The season is changing however, and so are viewer's tastes. The weekend of April 3-5, 1997, "Titanic" loses its number one position to... "Lost in Space." The romantic drama beaten by the sci-fi blockbuster. And now, romance has had its vengeance. A week before Valentine's Day.
There's a sort of poetic justice to that, don't you think?