Twentieth Century Fox sources said today [26] that Avatar had become the biggest worldwide release of all time, overtaking James Cameron’s 12-year champion Titanic.

Through the end of Monday, Avatar had reached $1.859bn, overhauling Titanic’s $1.843bn mark. Now the target is to become the first release ever to cross $2bn.

The international running total stands at $1.303bn and domestic – the last record that Titanic still holds, although not for long – has reached $554.9m.

The global theatrical run continues in 122 countries around the world on more than 16,000 screens. Approximately 72% of the global box office or $1.35bn has come from 3D screens.

In a statement a Fox spokesperson said, “We are deeply gratified that so many millions of people around the globe have embraced Avatar. Its success results from the efforts of literally thousands of people, who, over the course of several years, worked to bring James Cameron’s vision of Pandora to life.”