'Dear John' knocks 'Avatar' off No.1 perch

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In this February 1, 2010 AP file photo, actress Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum arrive at the premiere of the feature film "Dear John" in Los Angeles.

Dear John debuted with $30.5 million ($NZ44.2 million), nudging Avatar to second-place with $22.9 million ($NZ33.1 million).

Avatar, which had been No. 1 for seven weekends, raised its revenue records to $639.3 million ($NZ926.6 million) domestically and $2.2 billion ($NZ3.1 billion) worldwide.