Avatar Surpasses The $700 Million Mark

Photos

Avatar | Photo 04

see larger image

uploaded by Manny Castro

This weekend, James Cameron's Avatar reached a new milestone. It grossed $700 million at the domestic box office. After 73 days in theaters it's still in the top 5. It grossed $14 million these past three days for a new total of $706.9 million.

The timing is interesting as Alice in Wonderland is set to open this Friday. It is expected to take over most of the 3D and IMAX screenings, but Fox, the studio behind Avatar, is asking theater owners to continue screening that film in those format. And with the releases of DreamWork's How to Train Your Dragon and Warner Bros' remake of Clash of the Titans weeks away it's going to get messy. Most theaters don't have enough 3D screens to fit all of these movies. So, only time will tell how that affects Avatar and the other films.

In other box office news, Shutter Island is #1 for a second straight weekend with $22.2 million and a total gross of $75 million. Kevin Smith's Cop Out, starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, is in second place with $18.5 million. It's a record opening for Smith. And, The Crazies, a remake of the George A. Romero horror flick, is in third with $16.5 million. Meanwhile, Valentine's Day only grossed $9.5 million this weekend, but it was enough to make its total gross reach $100 million and become the first 2010 release to do so.