The total for James Cameron’s sci-fi spectacular rose to $1.841 billion, just shy of the seemingly insurmountable $1.843 billion racked up by the director’s “Titanic” in 1997-1998.
Already “Avatar” claimed the all-time international total with sales to date of $1.288 billion, eclipsing the $1.242 billion haul of “Titanic.”
In North America, it may have to wait another two weeks to sail past the $601 million total of “Titanic,” the News Corp -owned studio said. Moviegoers in North America and Canada have chipped in $552.8 million, enough to replace 2008’s “The Dark Knight” ($533 million) as the second-biggest movie of all time.
Data are not adjusted for inflation, and “Avatar” ticket sales got an additional boost from premium pricing for 3-D screenings. Imax Corp said its big-screen engagements have sold a record $134 million worth of tickets worldwide.
The biggest movie of all time in North America – adjusted for inflation – is 1939’s “Gone with the Wind,” with sales of almost $1.5 billion, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo. “Avatar” ranks at No. 26 by that measure.
During the latest weekend, “Avatar” earned $36 million in North America and $107 million internationally, far outpacing other offerings.
