“Avatar” the James Cameron 3-D sci-fi epic is showing unusual staying power at the box office, finishing No. 1 over the three-day New Year’s weekend, pushing its box office over $1.02 billion worldwide.
The film stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver and some of the most advanced 3-D, CGI effects.
Worthington is a disabled ex-Marine sent from Earth to join the 9-foot- tall indigenous Na’vi through a laboratry-created Na’vi life form, known as an avatar.
He inhabits the mind of the avatar, and falls for a Na’vi princess played by Saldana. Weaver is a scientist heading up the avatar project on the planet Pandora.
“This is like a freight train out of control,” said Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston. “It just keeps on going.”
The New Year holiday weekend, proved to be another blockbuster run for the movie. It pulled in $202 million during the three-day span, according to distributor 20th Century Fox.
Pre-order the new Avatar release on DVD and save $20 off the list price in an amazon.com and Improper special offer. The DVD will retail for $39.99.
Zoe Saldana Adds Flesh and Blood to Avatar (Hot Photos) Click to Go
Only three other films make up the exclusive billion dollar plus box office club: Cameron’s own 1997 “Titanic,” which earned $1.8 billion; “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” which pulled in $1.12 billion, and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” which earned $1.07 billion.
Significantly, Lord of the Rings and Pirates were both sequels. “Avatar” and “Titanic” are the only stand-alone movies in the rare grouping.
Zoe Saldana, Avatar's Sexy Na'vi Princess
Domestic North American moviegoers spent $68.3 million to see the film during the New Year’s holiday, setting a record for a film in its third weekend. The old mark of $45 million was set by “Spider-Man” in 2002.
Avatar seems to be benefiting from repeat business and from higher ticket prices charged by 3-D IMAX theaters.
After 17 days in theaters in the United States and Canada, “Avatar” has earned $352.1 million, placing it at No. 15 among all movies in terms of domestic ticket sales.
Fox, a unit of News Corp., said the film should top $500 million in the North American box office.
“Titanic,” the biggest film earned $601 million in domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation, followed by 2008′s “The Dark Knight” with $533 million. “Star Wars” currently holds the No. 3 spot at $461 million.
“Avatar” is reportedly the most expensive film ever made at $300 million with another $100 million thrown in for marketing.
Following in “Avatar’s” footsteps were “Sherlock Holmes” came in at No. 2 with $38.4 million. The film is riding a wave of good word-of mouth reviews. The 10-day total for the Guy Ritchie directed, Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law action-adventure is $140.7 million.
Fox’s family offering “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” followed at No. 3 with $36.6 million, and a 12-day total of $157.3 million.
The Universal Pictures comedy “It’s Complicated,” in its second week of release scored $18.7 million. The Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin vehicle, has earned $59.1 million.
The Sandra Bullock sleeper hit “The Blind Side” was fifth with $12.7 million. The film has earned $209.1 million after seven weekends and vaulted Bullock to the top of A-List Hollywood actresses.
RELATED POSTS: CHECK OUT THESE TOP STORIES
