'Dear John' dethrones 'Avatar' Friday!

Could the box office reign of "Avatar" come to an end this weekend? Looking at the estimated numbers for Friday, it sure could, because "Dear John" opened with a surprisingly strong $13.8 million in first place.

Lasse Hallström's big-screen adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel scored a solid average of $4,648 per theater at 2,969 locations. The romance drama stars Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum.

James Cameron's "Avatar" took a dive and landed at No. 2 Friday, earning $6.2 million ($612 million total). Considering it's half of what "Dear John" made, it will be hard for the sci-fi flick to regain momentum.

Also opening Friday was Pierre Morel's thriller "From Paris with Love," which scored $3 million from ticket sales at 2,722 locations. Lionsgate's flick stars John Travolta as an agent trying to stop a terrorist attack.

Meanwhile, "Edge of Darkness" slipped to No. 4 with a daily gross of $2.3 million, bringing its total haul to $24.4 million. Following in fifth place with $2 million was "When in Rome," which reached a total of $17.3 million.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)