Avatar: Sort of Biggest Movie Ever

"Avatar" becomes king of the (box office) world

Self-proclaimed "king of the world" director James Cameron has just upstaged himself.

The filmmaker's sci-fi fantasy epic "Avatar" has surpassed his own 1997 record-setting disaster movie "Titanic" to become the highest-grossing movie ever, not accounting for ticket price inflation, foreign currency fluctuations and surcharges on 3-D screens.

Through Monday, "Avatar" racked up $1.85 billion in worldwide ticket sales, edging past "Titanic's" $1.84 billion -- a feat it achieved in less than 40 days, according to the film's distributor, 20th Century Fox.

"Avatar's" domestic take of $554.9 million still slightly trails "Titanic's" $600.7 million, but overseas it has taken in slightly more, $1.30 billion to the earlier film's $1.24 billion.

However, "Titanic" still rules the universe in terms of how many people went to see it compared to the number that have lined up for "Avatar."

China renames mountain after movie 'Avatar'

A mountain in Zhang Jiajie, Hunan Province in China was recently renamed "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain" because the local government said it is the prototype of the floating mountain in the movie Avatar.

"Pandora is too far away, but Zhang Jiajie is close. Welcome to Zhang Jiajie and explore a real Pandora world," read the government statement.

The government told local media the decision was made based on discussion with local residents.

"We hope the new name will help promote Zhang Jiajie to the world and bring us more tourists," said one of the local authorities.

That second image makes more sense if you know that China pulled Avatar from most of screens across the country because it was reminding the peasants how horrible their own government is.  Give us your tourists but we ain't showin' your movies!

Other Avatar coverage here and here.  My favorite Avatar site.

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