James Cameron did it to James Cameron.
Cameron's unstoppable Avatar hit $1.29 billion at the international box office, Fox said today, passing Cameron's Titanic mark of $1.24 billion to set the new record. By Monday, the studio estimates, Avatar will top Titanic's worldwide gross of $1.85 billion to become Earth's biggest moneymaker of all time.
And, no, the film is not stopping there.
Within a week to a week and a half, Fox guesstimated, the 3D- and IMAX-powered Avatar should swipe Titanic's last remaining major record: all-time domestic champ.
Avatar, which grossed $36 million domestically Friday-Sunday, and, oh, by the way, led the box office for a sixth straight weekend, is now at $552.8 million on that ledger. On Saturday, it blew past The Dark Knight for second place on the domestic list. Titanic's once-believed unbeatable $600.8 million will be the next to go.
Rose and Jack, we hardly knew ye.
"Milestones like this are great," calm and composed Fox exec Chris Aronson said today. "It's part of an amazing ride the film has taken us on. [But] this film is still just captivating audiences on a global basis."
So, to answer the question, you celebrate becoming the world's No. 1 film after you're finished being the world's No. 1 film.
Which, in Avatar's case, may take a while.
via E!