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Action box office · December 2009

Action Box Office, December 2009: Top-Grossing Releases

Avatar (2009) is the highest-grossing action movie released in December 2009, with $2.9B worldwide, ahead of Sherlock Holmes (2009) at $524M and Armored (2009) at $22.9M. 10 action films released in December 2009 report a worldwide gross, $3.5B in all, 29% of it from the US & Canada. 1 film crossed $1 billion and 2 crossed $100 million. That is 3.5 times the total of November 2009, whose releases took $1B. By language, English leads with $3.5B across 4 action releases.

December 2009 releases with a gross
10
combined worldwide
$3.5B
films crossed $100M
2
vs November 2009
×3.5
Avatar (2009) movie poster #1 of 10
#1 action movie of December 2009

Avatar (2009)

2009 · Action, Adventure

$2.9B worldwide · 83% of the chart's total

$785.2M US & Canada · 27% $2.1B elsewhere · 73%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Action Hits of December 2009?

Avatar (2009) leads with $2.9B, 83% of the total. The top 5 together took $3.5B, almost all of what the 10 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Avatar (2009) movie poster Number 1
    $2.9B Avatar (2009)
    $785.2M US & Canada · 27% $2.1B elsewhere · 73%
  2. Sherlock Holmes (2009) movie poster Number 2
    $524M Sherlock Holmes (2009)
    $209M US & Canada · 40% $315M elsewhere · 60%
  3. Armored (2009) movie poster Number 3
    $22.9M Armored (2009)
    $16M US & Canada · 70% $7M elsewhere · 30%
  4. Black Lightning (2009) movie poster Number 4
    $21M Black Lightning (2009)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  5. Bodyguards and Assassins (2009) movie poster Number 5
    $6.6M Bodyguards and Assassins (2009)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Action Release of December 2009, Ranked by Worldwide Gross

Lifetime worldwide grosses in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation; domestic means the US & Canada. Films are grouped by their release date in December 2009.

  1. 1 Avatar (2009) movie poster
    Avatar (2009) Dec 18, 2009 · English · Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi $2.9B worldwide
    Dec 18, 2009 US and Canada: $785.2M Rest of the world: $2.1B Worldwide: $2.9B
  2. 2 Sherlock Holmes (2009) movie poster
    Sherlock Holmes (2009) Dec 25, 2009 · English · Action, Adventure, Mystery $524M worldwide
    Dec 25, 2009 US and Canada: $209M Rest of the world: $315M Worldwide: $524M
  3. 3 Armored (2009) movie poster
    Armored (2009) Dec 4, 2009 · English · Action, Drama, Thriller $22.9M worldwide
    Dec 4, 2009 US and Canada: $16M Rest of the world: $7M Worldwide: $22.9M
  4. 4 Black Lightning (2009) movie poster
    Black Lightning (2009) Dec 28, 2009 · Russian · Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi $21M worldwide
    Dec 28, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $21M
  5. 5 Bodyguards and Assassins (2009) movie poster
    Bodyguards and Assassins (2009) Dec 18, 2009 · Cantonese · Action, Drama, History $6.6M worldwide
    Dec 18, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $6.6M
  6. 6 Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends The Movie (2009) movie poster
    Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends The Movie (2009) Dec 12, 2009 · Japanese · Adventure, Sci-Fi, Action $6.2M worldwide
    Dec 12, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $6.2M
  7. 7 Space Battleship Yamato Resurrection (2009) movie poster
    Space Battleship Yamato Resurrection (2009) Dec 12, 2009 · Japanese · Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure $4.3M worldwide
    Dec 12, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $4.3M
  8. 8 The Treasure Hunter (2009) movie poster
    The Treasure Hunter (2009) Dec 9, 2009 · Chinese · Sci-Fi, Adventure, Fantasy $1.7M worldwide
    Dec 9, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $1.7M
  9. 9 Vettaikaaran (2009) movie poster
    Vettaikaaran (2009) Dec 18, 2009 · Tamil · Action, Drama $1.4M worldwide
    Dec 18, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $1.4M
  10. 10 Ballistica (2009) movie poster
    Ballistica (2009) Dec 18, 2009 · English · Action, Adventure $66.1K worldwide
    Dec 18, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $66.1K
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in December 2009?

Of the top 10, Armored (2009) earned the biggest share at home (70% in the US & Canada), while Avatar (2009) made 73% of its gross abroad. Across all 10 films, $1B (29%) came from the US & Canada. 7 films of the top 10 report no US & Canada figure.

  1. 1 Avatar (2009) $2.9B
    $785.2M US & Canada · 27% $2.1B elsewhere · 73%
  2. 2 Sherlock Holmes (2009) $524M
    $209M US & Canada · 40% $315M elsewhere · 60%
  3. 3 Armored (2009) $22.9M
    $16M US & Canada · 70% $7M elsewhere · 30%
  4. 4 Black Lightning (2009) $21M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  5. 5 Bodyguards and Assassins (2009) $6.6M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  6. 6 Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends The Movie (2009) $6.2M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  7. 7 Space Battleship Yamato Resurrection (2009) $4.3M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  8. 8 The Treasure Hunter (2009) $1.7M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  9. 9 Vettaikaaran (2009) $1.4M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  10. 10 Ballistica (2009) $66.1K
    No US & Canada figure reported
Gross bands

How Many December 2009 Releases Crossed $100 Million?

2 of 10 films crossed $100M and took $3.4B between them, 98% of the total. 6 films, 60% of the list, earned under $10M.

  • $1B or more 1 film, 10% of the list $2.9B · 83% of the gross
  • $500M to $1B 1 film, 10% of the list $524M · 15% of the gross
  • $100M to $500M 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $10M to $100M 2 films, 20% of the list $43.9M · 1% of the gross
  • Under $10M 6 films, 60% of the list $20.3M · <1% of the gross
By release week

Which Week of December 2009 Had the Biggest Releases?

Films released in week 51 (Dec 13–19) took $2.9B, led by Avatar (2009). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.

  1. Week 49 Wk 49 Nov 29–Dec 5 Armored (2009) $22.9M Armored (2009)
  2. Week 50 Wk 50 Dec 6–12 Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends The Movie (2009) $12.2M Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends The Movie (2009)
  3. Week 51 Wk 51 Dec 13–19 Avatar (2009) $2.9B Avatar (2009)
  4. Week 52 Wk 52 Dec 20–26 Sherlock Holmes (2009) $524M Sherlock Holmes (2009)
  5. Week 53 Wk 53 Dec 27–31 Black Lightning (2009) $21M Black Lightning (2009)
Earlier years

How Does December 2009 Compare With December in Earlier Years?

Of these 10 years, December 2009 earned the most: $3.5B from 10 films, led by Avatar (2009).

Month Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
December 2000 10 films 10 $861.3M – Vertical Limit (2000) $215.7M
December 2001 8 films · +25% 8 $1.1B +25% The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $888.5M
December 2002 6 films · −92% 6 $86.8M −92% Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) $67.3M
December 2003 8 films · +1892% 8 $1.7B +1892% The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) $1.1B
December 2004 13 films · −84% 13 $272.5M −84% Blade: Trinity (2004) $132M
December 2005 7 films · −68% 7 $86M −68% Æon Flux (2005) $53.3M
December 2006 13 films · +1338% 13 $1.2B +1338% Night at the Museum (2006) $574.5M
December 2007 13 films · −44% 13 $696.5M −44% National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007) $459.2M
December 2008 13 films · −74% 13 $178.5M −74% Defiance (2008) $51.3M
December 2009 10 films · +1868% 10 $3.5B +1868% Avatar (2009) $2.9B
By language

Which Languages Do the Biggest Action Movies Speak in December 2009?

English-language action films took $3.5B across 4 films, 99% of the total, ahead of Russian-language action films ($21M) and Japanese-language action films ($10.5M).

December 2009 Action Box Office by Language

  1. English $3.5B
    4 films · #1 Avatar (2009)
  2. Russian $21M
    1 film · #1 Black Lightning (2009)
  3. Japanese $10.5M
    2 films · #1 Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends The Movie (2009)
  4. Cantonese $6.6M
    1 film · #1 Bodyguards and Assassins (2009)
  5. Chinese $1.7M
    1 film · #1 The Treasure Hunter (2009)
  6. Tamil $1.4M
    1 film · #1 Vettaikaaran (2009)
Archive

Action Box Office in 2009, Month by Month

The months of 2009 with their totals: December leads with $3.5B, led by Avatar (2009).

FAQ

Action Box Office December 2009: Questions & Answers

The chart's numbers in short: the #1 film, the total, the billion-dollar hits and the US & Canada share, answered from the same 10 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing action movie in December 2009?

Avatar (2009) leads with $2.9B worldwide, $785.2M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Sherlock Holmes (2009) at $524M and Armored (2009) at $22.9M.

How much did action movies released in December 2009 earn?

10 action films released in December 2009 report a worldwide gross, $3.5B in all, or $351.2M per film on average. November 2009 releases took $1B.

How many action movies released in December 2009 made $1 billion?

1 film crossed $1 billion worldwide: Avatar (2009). 2 crossed $100 million.

How much of the December 2009 Action box office came from the US and Canada?

$1B of the $3.5B total, or 29%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 7 films of the 10 report no domestic figure.

How is the December 2009 action box office chart ranked and where do the numbers come from?

Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date in December 2009. The figures are the reported box office grosses in our database. A gross that looks misattributed, such as one figure shared by two unrelated films or a blockbuster total on an obscure title, is left out rather than shown as a fact.

How often is the December 2009 action box office chart updated?

Grosses change while films are in theaters and whenever a new figure is reported; this chart reads the latest numbers in our database, so an older film can still move after a re-release.