After steamrolling the competition since its release, Jim Cameron’s big blue epic AVATAR has officially taken the box office crown away from… Jim Cameron.
TITANIC just plowed into one of those floating moon-mountains and sunk to number 2 on the all-time box office charts (yes yes, not adjusting for inflation). In 39 days, AVATAR has roped in a global total of $1,858,866,889, compared to TITANIC’s measly $1,843,201,268. Next stop: 2 billion!
Fox says this: “We are deeply gratified that so many millions of people around the globe have embraced AVATAR. Its success results from the efforts of literally thousands of people, who, over the course of several years, worked to bring James Cameron’s vision of Pandora to life. The themes of protecting the environment, respecting life, and yearning for a peaceful planet have united moviegoers worldwide. We’re very proud of, and grateful to, James Cameron, his amazing and dedicated team, and all the many people at Fox, who worked so long and so hard to achieve this milestone.”
For those who grumble every time a new 3D movie is announced, better get used to it — 72% of AVATAR’s tally ($1.35 billion) has come from the 3D showings. So expect studios to view the format as an acceptable business approach for quite a while…