Romantic tearjerker 'Dear John' overcame scathing reviews to end 'Avatar's' seven-week reign at the top of the North American box office this weekend, estimated figures showed Sunday.

The film, an adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel about a soldier who falls in love with a college student, stormed to an impressive $32.4-million on its debut, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.

The movie, starring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried, has received largely negative reviews but proved too strong for science-fiction epic 'Avatar', the highest-grossing film in history with more than two billion dollars worldwide.

James Cameron's film, which last week scooped nine nominations for next month's Oscars, earned another $23.6-million to add to its record-breaking haul.

Action film 'From Paris With Love', starring John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, opened in third spot with a disappointing $8.1-million dollars.

In fourth spot was revenge thriller, 'Edge of Darkness', featuring Mel Gibson in his first major screen role since 2002.

The film about a hard-bitten Boston cop hunting his daughter's killers earned $7-million in its second weekend.

Dwayne Johnson comedy 'The Tooth Fairy', fell to fifth place in its second week of showing, with $6.5-million in box office receipts, with $34.3-million in total.

Romantic comedy 'When in Rome', starring Kristen Bell as a New Yorker seeking love in the Eternal City was sixth with $5.5-million.

Denzel Washington's 'Book of Eli', an action movie set in a post-apocalyptic world took in $4.8-million for seventh place and $82.2-million for it's four-week run.

In eighth spot was 'Crazy Heart' the low budget drama about a washed up country singer struggling to rebuild his career starring Jeff Bridges in the Oscar-nominated lead role. Bridges is regarded as the odds on favorite to scoop his first Academy Award for the performance. 'Crazy Heart' earned $3.6-million.

In ninth spot was another post-apocalyptic thriller 'Legion', with $3.4-million while the top 10 was rounded out by 'Sherlock Holmes' with $2.6-million.

The high-octane take on the adventures of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary London detective, played by Robert Downey Junior, has taken $201.6-million in seven weeks.