‘Avatar 2’ surpasses $1 billion at global box office

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ took in an estimated $82.4 million this holiday weekend in North America, pushing it past a global total of $1 billion in near record time, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

The four-day domestic take for the sci-fi flick brought its domestic total to $440.5 million, 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.

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

Another blockbuster sequel, 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.

And in fifth was Paramount’s comedy-drama ‘Babylon,’ at $3.6 million. Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie star in director Damien Chazelle’s over-the-top tribute to an early Hollywood struggling with the transition from silent films to ‘talkies.’

Rounding out the top 10 were: ‘Violent Night’ ($2.8 million), ‘The Whale’ ($1.8 million), ‘The Fabelmans’ ($1.6 million), ‘The Menu’ ($1.4 million), ‘Strange World’ ($747,000).