The third installment in the “Magic Mike” series danced its way to the top of the box office charts this weekend with a James Cameron double header, “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Titanic” (yes that “Titanic”), looming close behind.

“Magic Mike’s Last Dance “ earned $8.2 million in its first weekend in North American theaters, according to studio estimates on Sunday. Cameron’s “Avatar” sequel brought in an additional $6.9 million while the 25th anniversary rerelease of “Titanic” took in $6.4 million from Friday to Sunday.

North American moviegoing tends to come to a halt on Super Bowl Sunday and studios react strategically, often releasing films that are more “female-targeted.” Star Channing Tatum has also had several films perform well in the Super Bowl/Valentine’s Day corridor, including “The Vow,” “Dear John” and “Dog.”

“This is not known as a spike the football weekend for theaters. But there are people who want to go to theaters, even on Super Bowl weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “And this is perfect counterprogramming.”

“Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” which brought Steven Soderbergh back to the director’s chair, was given a modest theatrical release in only 1,500 theaters.