"Sherlock Holmes," the Warner Bros. Pictures film about the 19th-century sleuth, had the best Christmas Day film debut ever, as total receipts for all the day's various movies also set an industry mark.

"Sherlock Holmes," starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, had ticket sales of $24.9 million, according to www.Hollywood.com's Box Office, a movie tracking service. All films showing grossed $91 million, another record, and beat last year's $75 million on the holiday.

That may place the weekend among the top five highest-grossing ever and would cap a week in which annual film revenue in the U.S. and Canada already had crossed the $10 billion mark for the first time ever.

In second place on Christmas Day was Fox's "Avatar" with $23.5 million. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" was third with $14.5 million.

The previous Christmas Day debut record of $14.7 million was held by last year's "Marley and Me," starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston.

EX-'LOST' ACTRESS THRILLED WITH 'AVATAR'

Michelle Rodriguez apparently made quite an impression as a tough chick in her first movie, 2000's "Girlfight."

"Titanic" director James Cameron never forgot about the Texan who went on to hits such as "The Fast and the Furious" and TV's "Lost."

So he called her up and offered her a part in his new 3-D sci-fi epic, "Avatar."

The movie, set 125 years in the future, is about a disabled Marine (Sam Worthington, "Terminator: Salvation") sent to the planet Pandora — populated by peaceful blue aliens — to find an energy-rich mineral.

"I got a call — Jim wanted to meet me and see where my head was at," said Rodriguez, from a Miami hotel. "I think he wanted to make sure I wasn't some wacko."

The role he had in mind was of headstrong helicopter pilot Trudy Chacon.

The actress was thrilled. "Who wouldn't want to work for that genius? Especially a geek like me," she said. "I'm a big 'Abyss' fan, big 'Terminator' fan, big 'Alien' fan."

IVANA TRUMP GETS BOOTED OFF AIRPLANE

Police say Ivana Trump was escorted off a plane in Florida after she became belligerent when children were running and screaming in the aisles.

Authorities say the first ex-wife of billionaire Donald Trump cussed at the children yesterday, and when flight attendants on the New York-bound plane tried to calm her, she became more aggravated.

Her spokeswoman did not immediately return a telephone message.

She has not been charged in the incident at Palm Beach International Airport.

Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies asked Trump to leave the plane, but they said she refused. She was then escorted off.

Trump filed for divorce from her fourth husband earlier this month.

— Advertiser News Services