'Avatar: The Way Of Water' earns over $1 billion at the global box office, dominates North America

James Cameron's 'Avatar: The Way Of Water' continued to dominate the global box office in the last weekend of 2022. The film took in an estimated $82.4 million this holiday weekend just in North America, pushing it past a global total of $1 billion in near record time.

The four-day weekend led to the film earning approximately $440.5 million in the US, on top of $957 million earned overseas; only a half-dozen films have passed the $1 billion mark in their first two weeks.

But director James Cameron has estimated that the high-budget 20th Century movie needs to make twice that much just to break even. The original "Avatar" took in a record $2.9 billion.

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Second place in North American theaters went to Universal's family-oriented 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,' a spin-off of the popular 'Shrek' franchise. It took in $22 million for the Friday-through-Monday period.

Meanwhile, Disney's 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,' earned $6.5 million to place third; its domestic total rose to $439.6 million in its eighth week out.

In fourth place was Sony biopic 'Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody,' at $5.4 million. English actress Naomi Ackie portrays the late superstar.

(with agency inputs)