Avatar yields $1 billion in box-office gold

Hollywood blockbuster Avatar surged to a box-office haul of more than $1 billion (Dh3.67bn) globally on Sunday, faster than any other movie in history, an industry tracker reported.

Aided by consecutive holiday weekends and pricey 3D tickets, total domestic sales for the science fiction epic reached $352 million and an eye-popping $670m internationally, according to estimated figures by Exhibitor Relations.

The astronomical performance since the movie's debut 17 days ago has already sealed its reputation as one of the most impressive box-office performers of all time.

"It was the fastest ever to the one-billion-dollar mark," with Avatar now the third biggest grossing film ever, behind Titanic (1997) and The Return of the King (2003), the final movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, box office analyst Chad Hartigan of Exhibitor Relations said.

"It was expected to do well, but not this well," Hartigan added.

 

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