Titanic 3D re-release steers movie past 2 billion dollar mark

Washington, April 16 (ANI): James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster Titanic has sailed beyond the 2-billion mark in lifetime ticket sales thanks to a 3D re-release that was timed to the centennial of the ship's sinking.

Only one other film has topped the magic 2 billion-dollar mark, which was also Cameron's - the 2009 hit Avatar, which earned 2.8 billion dollars worldwide.

The 'Titanic' reissue took in about 100 million dollars this weekend - 11.6 million dollars domestically and a whopping 88.2 million dollars in 69 overseas markets. That included a 58 million-dollar debut in China and put the re-release total worldwide at 190.8 million dollars, the Telegraph reported.

Added to the film's 1.84 billion-dollar haul in its original release, 'Titanic' now stands at 2.03 billion dollars worldwide.

Meanwhile in the US box office, The Hunger games stayed on top for a fourth-straight weekend with 21.5 million dollars, raising the film's domestic total to 337.1 million dollars.

Another big overseas haul came with Universal's 'Battleship,' which opened with 58 million dollars in 26 countries five weeks ahead of its US debut on May 18. The action tale featuring Taylor Kitsch and Liam Neeson is inspired by the game Battleship. (ANI)