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Titanic just hit an iceberg named Avatar.
James Cameron's sci-fi spectacular replaced his maritime melodrama
as the biggest international release of all time during the weekend
and is on the verge of claiming its worldwide crown, which also
includes North American receipts, distributor 20th Century Fox
said.
The News Corp-owned studio said Avatar has sold $US1.841 billion
worth of tickets worldwide during its unbroken six-week reign, and
was a day or so away from surpassing the seemingly insurmountable
$US1.843 billion racked up by Titanic in 1997-1998.
The international portion stands at $US1.288 billion, eclipsing the
$US1.242 billion haul of Titanic.
In North America, Avatar may have to wait up to two weeks to sink
the $US601 million total of Titanic, Fox said.
Moviegoers in the United States and Canada have chipped in
$US552.8 million, enough to replace 2008's The Dark Knight ($US533
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 $US134 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
$US1.5 billion, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo.
Avatar ranks No. 26 by that measure.
Avatar rules in France, China
During the latest weekend, Avatar earned $US36 million in North
America and $US107 million from 111 international markets, far
outpacing other offerings.
It led the field in at least 29 foreign markets, including France
($US123 million to date), China ($US102 million), Germany ($US96
million), Russia ($US95 million) and Britain ($US93 million).
In North America, Avatar was trailed by the new supernatural action
thriller Legion at No. 2 with $US18.2 million, while the Denzel
Washington drama The Book of Eli slipped to No. 3 with $US17
million in its second weekend.
Legion, released by Sony Corp's Screen Gems budget label, cost about $US25 million to make, and played primarily to men, the studio said.
Paul Bettany, Lucas Black and Tyrese Gibson star in the tale of
an of-the-way diner that becomes the unlikely battleground for the
survival of the human race.
Eli, a similarly themed apocalyptic drama released by Time Warner
Inc's Warner Bros.
Pictures on behalf of independent producer Alcon Entertainment,
has earned $US62 million after 10 days.
Two other films opened in the top-10: Fox's Dwayne Johnson family
film The Tooth Fairy at No. 4 with a promising $US14.5 million, and
the Harrison Ford medical drama Extraordinary Measures at No. 7
with a disappointing $US7 million.
Extraordinary Measures is the debut release of CBS Corp's CBS
Films, which said its fact-based storyline about a father trying to
save the lives of his children made it a tough sell.
Older audiences in the Midwest and mountain areas were the
primary demographic, the studio said.
Fox said Tooth Fairy played well across the board, despite or
because of its depiction of former wrestler Johnson, a.k.a. The
Rock in a tutu and wings.
"It's a very sweet, wonderful message movie," said Chris Aronson,
Fox's senior vice-president of domestic distribution.
