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The Last Airbender was apparently not a one-day wonder, as the critically-reviled fantasy improved 1.5% on its opening-weekend take. The M. Night Shyamalan picture grossed $16.6 million in its second day of release. It now has $32.9 million in two days. Ironically, had it opened on Friday, it likely would have had around $30 million just yesterday, putting it ahead of Twilight Saga: Eclipse for Friday and giving it a decent shot at winning the whole weekend. Still, with a Friday rise slightly similar to Terminator: Salvation (a critically-ripped franchise picture that opened on a Thursday but rose 10% on Friday) the film could do around $70-75 million for the five-day weekend, which is a huge win any way you slice it. Come what may, the surprisingly steady performance of the picture lends credence to the idea that audiences indeed are willing to see films that they otherwise wouldn't be interested in purely due to the 3-D presentation. Either that, or the original TV show has an even bigger fanbase than any of us realized (which makes the poor quality of the this would-be franchise starter all the more disconcerting, as Paramount may have killed a potent franchise by botching the first picture).
More news on the rest of the pictures tomorrow (short version - Toy Story 3 could be at $300 million by Monday, and Knight and Day is holding on as the choice of adult moviegoers), so until then take care.
Scott Mendelson
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