Box Office

Weekend Moviegoers 'Shatter' Records

Avatar hangs on to top spot.

The three-day holiday weekend, also the last weekend of the year, was a boon for Hollywood. Box offices raked in $263 million, shattering the previous year's record of $253.6 million over the summer weekend The Dark Knight was released. Avatar, which is still only showing in 3-D, continued to lead the pack, and Sherlock Holmes opened to a solid $65.4 million, above industry expectations. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel benefited from the kid-friendly time of year, taking in $50.2 million. “When the third-place movie is at $50 million, it’s usually a pretty good sign that you’re going to break some records,” noted a Fox executive. Rounding out the top openers was Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin's It's Complicated, which came in a far fourth at $22.1 million.