‘Avatar’ now biggest film ever

Sean Collins-Smith

Staff Writer

It took James Cameron five years and $400 million to create “Avatar.” It took audiences only 39 days to make it the world’s highest-grossing film of all time.

“Avatar,” the 3D sci-fi epic that premiered on Dec. 18, has amassed $1.85 billion as of Tuesday, vaulting it past the prior record-holder, “Titanic.” This now means director James Cameron, whose other films include “Aliens” and “The Terminator,” claims the top two spots on the all-time charts.

What makes this feat even more impressive is that “Avatar” is not part of a franchise. Unlike “Harry Potter” or “The Lord of the Rings,” it had no built-in audience, yet it has managed to launch itself into the box office stratosphere thanks to word of mouth, high ticket premiums for 3D shows, and the allure of seeing it in IMAX. It is now the biggest film of all time in Australia, Chile, Russia, Hong Kong, China and Spain.

Ten highest grossing movies worldwide:

“Avatar” – $1.858 billion

“Titanic” – $1.843 billion

“The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” – $1.119 billion

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” – $1.066 billion

“The Dark Knight” – $1.001 billion

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” – $974.7 million

“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” – $961.0 million

“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” – $938.2 million

“Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” – $934.0 million

“The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” – $925.3 million