LOS ANGELES, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- James Cameron's "Avatar" led the way with a healthy 75 million U.S. dollars 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 212.3 million dollars in the two weeks it has been exhibited in the United States and Canada.

Director of the movie James Cameron and his wife Suzy Amis pose at the premiere of "Avatar" at the Mann's Grauman Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California December 16, 2009.

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

    "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" is projected to come in third, with 50.2 million dollars in ticket sales, Hollywood. comreported. 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 22.1-million-dollar take, Hollywood.com projected.

Cast members Zoe Saldana (L), Sam Worthington (C) and Sigourney Weaver attend the premiere of "Avatar" at the Mann's Grauman Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California December 16, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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