James Cameron's "Avatar" led the way with a healthy US$75 million in projected receipts over the three-day weekend, according to numbers released on Sunday.

"Avatar," the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms, will bring Fox Studios an estimated domestic total of US$212.3 million in the two weeks it has been exhibited in the United States and Canada.

"Sherlock Holmes" from Warner Bros. opened strongly in second place, with a US$65.5 million projection.

"Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" is projected to come in third, with US$50.2 million in ticket sales, Hollywood.com reported. Since it opened two days before Christmas, the Fox chipmunks have squirreled away 77 million in sales.

And the highly-advertised comedy for the older female demographic, "It's Complicated," also did well in the competitive holiday market. The Nancy Meyers rom-com opened with a US$22.1 milliontake, Hollywood.com projected.

Rounding out the 10 highest-grossing films in sales from Friday through Sunday, as estimated by Hollywood.com, are:

-- "Up In the Air," Paramount, US$11.8 million this weekend, 24.5 million dollars over four weeks;

-- "The Blind Side," Warner Bros., US$11.7 million this weekend, 184.4 million dollars over six weeks;

-- "The Princess And The Frog," US$8.7 million this weekend, 63.4 million dollars over five weeks;

-- "Nine," Weinstein Co., US$5.6 million this weekend, 5.9 million dollars over two weeks;

-- "Did You Hear About The Morgans?," Sony, US$5 million this weekend, US$15.6 million over two weeks; and

-- "Invictus," Warner Bros., US$4.4 million this weekend, US$23.4 million over three weeks.