Avatar is just £2m short of Titanic box-office record

Avatar is set to become the highest grossing film of all time this week, after reaching just £2million short of the record on Sunday.

The total for James Cameron’s sci-fi spectacular rose to $1.841billion (£1.143billion) over the weekend, just shy of the seemingly insurmountable $1.843billion (£1.145billion) racked up by the director’s Titanic.

Avatar was the top draw for the sixth successive weekend according to distributor 20th Century Fox, meaning it has now replaced Batman movie The Dark Knight as the second-biggest film of all time.

The film, which cost nearly £200million to make, has already smashed all-time records in dozens of individual countries, including China.

Earlier this month, it became the fastest film ever to achieve $1billion (£623million) in worldwide ticket sales. The biggest movie of all time in North America – adjusted for inflation – is 1939’s Gone With The Wind, with sales of almost $1.5billion, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo. Avatar ranks 26th by that measure.

The out-of-this-world 3D story has also cemented its place in history at one Britain’s most famous cinemas.

It has sold at least 71,500 tickets at the Odeon in Leicester Square, central London – making it the most popular ever at the cinema.

‘Avatar has a winning combination of spectacular 3D technology and worldwide acclaim,’ said Rupert Gavin, CEO of Odeon and UCI Cinemas.