(20th Century Fox)

There’s a new #1 at the all-time domestic box office.

Avatar has now made more than $601 million in North America, edging past director James Cameron‘s own Titanic, whose $600.8 million total occupied the top spot for twelve years.

The futuristic sci-fi spectacular is already the all-time #1 worldwide. It broke Titanic‘s domestic record late Tuesday, after just 47 days of release, and on the same day it received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

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(20th Century Fox)

It’s official.

This morning Avatar passed Titanic to become the all-time box office champion.

The sci-fi spectacular has just surpassed $1.8 billion worldwide, the total Titanic grossed back in 1997-98.

Yes, the new film’s grosses are aided by higher ticket prices for 3D screenings and inflation. But #1 is #1, and Avatar now holds the title.

Domestically, Titanic is still at the top with $600.8 million, but Avatar is on pace to earn that distinction shortly.

In other box office news, The Twilight Saga: New Moon has topped the $700 million mark worldwide.

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(20th Century Fox)

As we approach final box office tallies for the weekend, it looks like early estimates will hold. Avatar is set to take a sixth consecutive weekend, fending off Legion and others, and becoming the highest-grossing film in North American history after director James Cameron‘s own Titanic.

Projections give Avatar a $36 million weekend and a cumulative domestic box office north of $552 million.

The Harrison Ford film Extraordinary Measures bombed in its debut, finishing in seventh place.

Gossip Cop will keep tracking Avatar as it steams toward Titanic‘s #1 spot on both the all-time domestic and all-time worldwide box office charts.

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(20th Century Fox)

Avatar has hit $1.6 billion worldwide, creeping closer to the all-time box office champ, Titanic.

The James Cameron epic scored its fifth straight domestic box office win, earning $41.3 million in the three days beginning Friday. It should pass $500 million in North America on Monday.

It’s now the third-highest grossing domestic movie ever at $491.8 million, behind Titanic and The Dark Knight.

Aided by word of mouth, crossover appeal, higher 3D ticket prices, and staggering staying power into its second month, Avatar is now roughly $237 million behind Titanic for the all-time crown.

It took Titanic 98 days to reach the total Avatar has amassed in just thirty-two.

Gossip Cop will follow the numbers as they grow and grow and grow…

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(20th Century Fox)

UPDATE – 12:15PM 1/10/10

The receipts are in, and Avatar actually had a BETTER weekend than expected, pulling in $48.5 domestically to help raise its worldwide total to $1.34 BILLION.

With a “B.”

We’d say James Cameron‘s having a pretty good year.

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ORIGINAL POST – 1/9/09

An astounding box office run continues for Avatar, estimated to finish as the (easy) #1 at the box office for a fourth consecutive weekend.

Already the second-highest grossing movie of all time (worldwide) behind director James Cameron‘s own Titanic, the sci-fi epic raked in an estimated $13 million on Friday to kick start what looks to be a $46 million weekend. The film’s cumulative haul is expected to rise to roughly $425 million at the North American box office, overtaking Transformers: Rise of the Fallen as the top domestic movie released in 2009.

Meanwhile, the film is approaching $800 million overseas, edging closer to $1.2 billion overall.

Wow.

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(20th Century Fox)

Christmas keeps going and going for James Cameron.

Thanks to Avatar‘s unrelenting box office might over the holidays and into the new year, the director is set to have the two highest-grossing films in history in a few days from now.

That’s right — Avatar has not only topped $1 billion in worldwide receipts, but will soon snag the #2 spot in box office history, right below Cameron’s own Titanic.

Boosted by enormous overseas business and 3D ticket prices, the sci-fi epic has shot to the #4 spot already, with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest in its sights and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (the current #2) less than $100 million away.

Whether the film can come close to Titanic‘s mind-blowing $1.8 billion haul remains to be seen. But Avatar‘s blue aliens are seeing some serious green.

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