'Avatar' passes $500 million at U.S. box office

'Avatar' passes $500 million at U.S. box office


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Newly crowned Golden Globe winner "Avatar" broke the $500 million mark in record time at the North American box office on Monday, quickly closing in on the all-time record held by "Titanic" for 12 years.

Distributor 20th Century Fox said James Cameron's sci-fi spectacular earned an estimated $54.6 million during the four-day U.S. Martin Luther King holiday, leading the box office for a fifth consecutive weekend.

Its total rose to $505.1 million after 32 days. The Batman sequel "The Dark Knight" held the $500 million speed record, taking 45 days in 2008.

The News Corp -owned studio expects "Avatar" to surpass the $533 million haul of "The Dark Knight" next weekend, leaving only Cameron's "Titanic" ahead of it with $601 million. Data are not adjusted for inflation, and "Avatar" additionally benefits from premium pricing for 3-D screenings.

The international total for "Avatar" rose to $1.12 billion after a $129 million weekend. The worldwide total stands at $1.613 billion, trailing "Titanic" by just $230 million.

"Avatar" won Golden Globes on Sunday for best drama and director. All eyes are now on the Feb. 2 announcement of the Academy Award nominations.

"BOOK OF ELI" OPENS AT NO. 2

Denzel Washington's "The Book of Eli" opened at No. 2 in North America with $38.0 million for the four-day period, the actor's second-best opening after the three-day $43 million launch of 2007's "American Gangster." Young men accounted for about two-thirds of the audience for the Christian-themed apocalyptic thriller, said distributor Warner Bros. Pictures.

The $80 million film was produced by FedEx Corp Chairman Fred Smith's Alcon Prods., and distributed for a fee by Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc.

Director Peter Jackson's adaptation of "The Lovely Bones" took the No. 3 spot with $20.5 million in its first weekend of national release, as the "Twilight" crowd flocked to the supernatural murder story.