AVATAR #1 All-Time Domestic Box Office (But Not #1 re: Tickets Sold)
On Tuesday, Feb. 2, James Cameron’s Avatar flew past Cameron’s own Titanic to become the #1 blockbuster ever at the domestic box office — as long as you choose to ignore both inflation and 3D/IMAX surcharges — with $601.6 million as per Box Office Mojo. Avatar had already overtaken Titanic at the worldwide (including North America) box office about a week ago. To date, Avatar has grossed $1.446 billion overseas; the low value of the US dollar and the relatively recent opening up of huge movie markets Russia and China have helped out Cameron’s latest hit.
Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, grossed $1.242 billion overseas and $600.8 million domestically. Avatar’s worldwide total currently stands at $2.048 billion. Adjusted for inflation (even without considering 3D/IMAX higher ticket prices), Gone with the Wind remains the top blockbuster ever domestically, and possibly overseas as well (even remotely reliable figures are unavailable).
Avatar has been out for only a little over seven weeks and it still has a lot of steam left — though probably not as much as Titanic twelve years ago. It’s doubtful that Avatar will remain at the top position for another eight weeks (Titanic remained #1 for 15 weekends), or that it’ll have an increase in ticket sales of the kind experienced by Titanic. Avatar‘s figures have been dropping steadily, even if at a relatively slow pace (10 to 20 percent on a day-to-day or weekend-to-weekend basis).
When it comes to the actual number of tickets sold, Avatar still lags behind not only Titanic, but also a whole array of movies of various decades due to inflation and 3D surcharges that can add anywhere between 25 to 40 percent to the cost of a regular ticket.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, at least 65% of Avatar’s overseas box office and almost 80% of its domestic revenues have come from 3D sites. As previously reported, Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight earned only 6.5% of its worldwide revenues from higher-priced IMAX screenings.
Avatar has received nine Academy Award nominations, including best picture and best director (but not best screenplay). Additionally, it won Golden Globes for best picture (drama) and best director. Last week, it lost the Producers Guild Award to Kathryn Bigelow’s Iraq War drama The Hurt Locker, while on Sunday James Cameron lost the Directors Guild Award to his former wife Bigelow, the first woman to ever win the DGA prize for a narrative feature.
Written and directed by Cameron, Avatar stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Laz Alonso, Giovanni Ribisi, CCH Pounder, and West Studi.
Photo: Avatar (WETA / 20th Century Fox)
More information about: Avatar, box office, James Cameron, Titanic
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