'Avatar' Still Tops US B-O on 6th Weekend

JAN 25, 2010 - It is inevitable. Avatar has sold US$1.841 billion (RM6.26 billion) worth of tickets worldwide during its unbroken six-week record reign, and is a day or so away from surpassing the seemingly insurmountable US$1.843 billion racked up by Titanic in 1997-1998.

This announcement was made by 20th Century Fox yesterday.


In North America, Avatar may have to wait up to two weeks to sink the US$601 million total of Titanic, Fox said. Moviegoers in the US and Canada spent US$552.8 million, enough to replace 2008’s The Dark Knight (US$533 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 3D screenings. Imax Corp said its big-screen engagements have sold a record US$134 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 US$1.5 billion, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo. Avatar ranks No. 26 by that measure.

Meanwhile, the thriller Legion led the way in second place at the North American Box-office last weekend. Family comedy The Tooth Fairy saw mild business in fourth while moviegoers ignored the drama Extraordinary Measures which landed in seventh. Films with major Golden Globe wins all witnessed small declines.

Here is the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for Jan 22 - 24, 2010 weekend, in terms of rank, Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo.

1. Avatar (Fox) $36.0 million ($552.8 million) 6

2. Legion (2010) (Sony / Screen Gems) $18.2 million ($18.2 million) 1

3. The Book of Eli (Warner Bros.) $17.0 million ($62.0 million) 2

4. The Tooth Fairy (Fox) $14.5 million ($14.5 million) 1

5. The Lovely Bones (DreamWorks) $8.8 million ($31.6 million) 7