Weekend takes Avatar on a climb to beat James Cameron’s other film Titanic

Avatar

James Cameron is the most bankable director in the world. This weekend, world wide box-office revenue from Avatar climbed to over $1 billion.

In three week since it opened, Avatar looks like it will surpass the all-time highest grossing movie, another James Cameron flick Titanic which earned $1.8 billion.

The film cost $500 to make and $150 has been spent on promotion to date. The movie is a good example of how delivering more to the audience gets rewarded. Cameron has built Avatar using the latest technology including 3D. Digital downloads are not hurting his top-line revenue. File sharing is probably the last thing on his mind.

Avatar is this season’s must see movie. Friends have reported seeing it twice and three times.

Some of the revenue increase can be attributed to higher ticket prices for the 3D and IMAX versions but in the end the market is speaking with its feet and credit card. People want to see Avatar because it delivers.

“It’s like a runaway freight train. It just keeps doing business,” said Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston. “Here’s what’s happening: I think everybody has to see ‘Avatar’ once. Even people who don’t normally go to the movies, they’ve heard about it and are saying, ‘I have to see it.’ Then there’s those people seeing it multiple times.”

“Avatar” was Cameron’s first film since 1997’s “Titanic,” the biggest modern blockbuster with $1.8 billion worldwide.

Cameron now is the only filmmaker to direct two movies that have topped $1 billion. Along with “Titanic,” the others are “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” at $1.13 billion, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” at $1.06 billion and “The Dark Knight” at a fraction over $1 billion, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com. AP from Slate