Andre Yoskowitz
20 Dec 2009 14:57
James Cameron's epic 3D blockbuster Avatar appears to have been slowed in the United States by severe snowstorms on the East coast, opening to an estimated $73 million USD in domestic sales, good for the second largest December launch of all-time. The movie also had the third largest Friday opening of all-time, at $27 million.
'I Am Legend' opened to $77 million in December 2007.
Worldwide, the movie has already made an estimated $232 million, almost surpassing the movie's gigantic budget.
Avatar is said to be the fourth most expensive film to be ever made, with an official budget of $237 million. Ahead of it are "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" at $300 million, "Spider-Man 3" at $258 million, and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" at $250 million. Marketing/advertising figures for the epic are said to surpass $120 million.
Sales will undoubtedly be compared to James Cameron's last movie, Titanic, which spent 6 months in theaters bringing in $600 million domestic and $1.8 billion globally.