'Avatar' Storms Moviegoers In The Saturday Box Office Report

1. "Avatar" ($27 million)
2. "The Princess and the Frog" ($3.4 million)
3. "The Blind Side" ($3.2 million)
4. "Did You Hear About The Morgans?" ($2.4 million)
5. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" ($1.4 million)

Director James Cameron stepped away from feature filmmaking following the success of "Titanic," vowing to return once technology caught up with his imagination. That promise was fulfilled on Friday with "Avatar," Cameron's latest sweeping epic that debuted in first place on Friday evening.

With remarks from several Hollywood personalities that "Avatar" would change the game in terms of what can be accomplished through 3-D filmmaking, the bar was understandably high for Cameron's latest. Regardless of whether or not that hype is realized, it certainly appears that moviegoers are fascinated with Pandora, the fictional planet at the center of "Avatar," given the movie's $27 million intake on its opening day. Of that total, $3 million was made in midnight showings alone, which nearly matches the $3.4 million performance of Friday's runner-up, "The Princess and the Frog."

While many are projecting an over $80 million weekend for "Avatar," there are still factors to consider when determining the movie's success. For one, the film's budget is massive, with estimates ranging from as low as $200 million to as high as a rumored $500 million. The price tag certainly shows on screen, but whether or not it pays off for Cameron, his investors and the folks at 20th Century Fox remains to be seen.

There is also concern that the excursion to Pandora is in jeopardy thanks to a blizzard sweeping through America's northeastern states. A Fox executive spoke last evening with Deadline Hollywood Daily about the potential effects of the snow storm on "Avatar's" continued success, saying: "I am worried about the effect in the Northeast tomorrow. Even so, this movie is getting such an incredibly positive reaction that I believe the word of mouth is just viral and those that may have been prevented from seeing the movie today or tomorrow will be there eventually without fail."

Whether or not the weather causes "Avatar" to take a hit, Cameron and his contemporaries have already banked on longevity rather than a one-in-done weekend gross. Tomorrow, we'll have a better sense of where "Avatar" stands in the quest to reclaim its budget — but for now, it appears that the movie is off to a good start.

Tell us what you thought of "Avatar" and any other movies you saw yesterday in the comments section or on Twitter!

Tags avatar, Did You Hear About The Morgans?, New Moon, The Blind Side, the princess and the frog