Avatar Takes Titanic's Last Titanic Record!

James Cameron sci-fi epic tops James Cameron disaster epic as biggest domestic hit of all time

By Joal Ryan Feb 03, 2010 7:54 PMTags
Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Titantic, Sam Worthington, Zoe SaldanaAvatarWETA, 20th Century Fox

Put a fork in Titanic. She's done.

On the same day Avatar scored nine Oscar nominations, James Cameron's sci-fi epic grossed an estimated $2.7 million, Fox said, and upped its domestic box office total to $601.1 million.

Make that, a Titanic-topping $601.1 million.

The domestic title was Titanic's last remaining major box office record. Avatar previously swiped Titanic's No. 1 ranking as Earth's—and James Cameron's—biggest moneymaker. (And, yes, for those just cracking open their cryogenic sleep chambers, Cameron also made Titanic.)

As of Oscar Tuesday, Avatar had grossed an unprecedented $2 billion and change worldwide.

Per Box Office Mojo, Titanic still clings to a few titles: biggest PG-13 movie of all time, most consecutive weekends at No. 1, etc. 

Titanic's reign as the No. 1 domestic movie lasted about 12 years, or until its director decided to make another movie. Until Avatar, the only film that came close to threatening its supremacy was The Dark Knight

All who want to argue that Avatar ain't all that box office-wise can take it here to puff yourself up, or, for a reality check, go here, and direct your attention to the fourth bullet point.

Here's a revised and updated look at the Top 10 domestic box office champs of all time, per Box Office Mojo stats:

  1. Avatar, $601.1 million
  2. Titanic, $600.8 million
  3. The Dark Knight, $533 million
  4. Star Wars, $461 million
  5. Shrek 2, $441 million
  6. E.T., $435 million
  7. Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace, $431 million
  8. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, $423 million
  9. Spider-Man, $404 million
  10. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, $402 million

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Avatar can't win as many Oscars as Titanic did, but it can get awfully close. Get the complete list of Oscar noms right here, and see everything else we've got on the 2010 Academy Awards right here!