Avatar showed its staying power at the box office this past holiday weekend earning just slightly less in its second weekend out.

Studio estimates Sunday clocked James Cameron’s 3-D epic with $75-million additional dough for 20th Century Fox, which means it only took a three-percent drop from its opening weekend grab of $77.4 million.

Sherlock Holmes came in a close second with $65.4 million, but check this out, the movie nabbed a record Christmas Day debut of $24.9 million.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel brought families and kiddies out in droves to land $50.2 million in revenue and the third place slot.

It’s Complicated, which targeted mature women, came in fourth with $22.1 million.

And the George Clooney comedy-drama, Up in the Air, also targeted to mature moviegoers, landed in fifth with $11.8 million.

Clearly Christmas falling on Friday boosted those numbers for what is traditionally a big movie weekend anyway.  Estimates put that record box office take at $278 million.