'Avatar' strikes box office pay dirt

US: Ground-breaking science-fiction epic "Avatar" smashed the one-billion-dollar barrier over the weekend and is on course to become the highest-grossing film of all time, final figures showed Monday.

Fueled by consecutive holiday weekends and pricey 3-D tickets, North American sales for James Cameron's blockbuster scooped another 68.5 million dollars, for a three-week total of 352.1 million, according to the figures.

With more than 670 million dollars internationally, "Avatar" has become only the fifth film ever to gross more than one billion dollars and is fourth on the all-time list of top earners, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.

Cameron's 1997 Oscar-winner "Titanic" remains the highest grossing movie of all time with 1.8 billion dollars, followed by 2003's "Lord of the Rings" finale and 2006's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."

However, Exhibitor Relations chief analyst Jeff Bock said that if "Avatar" continues to register large numbers at the North American box office, it could threaten the "Titanic" record.

Bock noted the sci-fi saga's earnings had registered only a nine percent fall from the previous week, which augured well for the film.

"The way that it's holding up is incredible," Bock said. "If we see another 50-million-dollar weekend next week, then you know this movie is in it for the long haul - and if that's the case, 'Titanic' better watch out."

"Avatar" tells the story of paralyzed war veteran Jake, who is sent on a mission from Earth to the planet Pandora, where he falls in love with a blue humanoid named Neytiri of the alien Na'vi race. Los Angeles, AFP