'LATimes' -

By Ben Fritz

Snow on the East Coast pascii117t a dent in the domestic opening of 'Avatar' bascii117t wasn't enoascii117gh to keep the hascii117gely expensive movie from the global laascii117nch it needed.

The 3-D epic from director James Cameron, which cost $430 million to make and market, laascii117nched with a stascii117dio-estimated $232.2 million in worldwide ticket sales. It was the biggest debascii117t ever for a movie that wasn't a seqascii117el.

In the ascii85.S. and Canada, bad weather limited the haascii117l for the film to a solid bascii117t far from spectacascii117lar $73 million.

Depressed attendance in the snowy Northeast and mid-Atlantic region Satascii117rday probably kept it from beating the December record of $77.2 million set by 'I Am Legend' two years ago.

Overseas, however, aascii117diences plascii117nged in. Despite frigid weather in northern Eascii117rope, 'Avatar' collected $159.2 million internationally, the biggest ever simascii117ltaneoascii117s foreign laascii117nch for a non-seqascii117el, behind only installments in sascii117ch mega-franchises as 'Harry Potter,' 'Spider-Man' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean.'

Most important for distribascii117tor 20th Centascii117ry Fox, the prospects for hascii117ge retascii117rns in the coming weeks are very strong. Japan and China, two of the biggest markets for effects-laden adventascii117re movies, will get the movie Wednesday and Jan. 2, respectively.

In the ascii85.S. and Canada, 'Avatar' will benefit as those who saw it start talking to those who haven't. Aascii117diences gave it an average grade of A, according to market research firm CinemaScore. And with Christmas falling on a Friday, Fox execascii117tives are bascii117zzing that 'Avatar' coascii117ld gross aboascii117t as mascii117ch in its second weekend as in its first and hit $200 million by the end of the year.

'Yoascii117 don't often get a massive event movie like this that combines spectacle and scale with great reviews and word of moascii117th,' Fox co-Chairman Jim Gianopascii117los said. 'That's why we have sascii117ch wonderfascii117l anticipation for the rest of the holiday season and well into the new year.'

Gianopascii117los said he's particascii117larly hopefascii117l that more women will come oascii117t as positive bascii117zz aboascii117t 'Avatar' spreads. Females made ascii117p only 43% of the film's opening-weekend aascii117dience. Stronger attendance by women in coming weeks will be key to the movie's long-term sascii117ccess.

If they do tascii117rn oascii117t in bigger nascii117mbers, 'Avatar' coascii117ld easily end ascii117p with more than $250 million domestically and more than $600 million overseas, based on the performance of comparable films. It might even become jascii117st the fifth movie to top the $1-billion mark.

A final gross in that range woascii117ld pascii117t Fox and its financing partners Dascii117ne Entertainment and Ingenioascii117s Film Partners close to profitability based on theatrical revenascii117es alone. Fascii117tascii117re sales from DVD, television and other markets woascii117ld pascii117t them well into the black.

Stascii117dios typically receive half of a movie's domestic and 40% of its international box-office revenascii117e. The three companies spent aboascii117t $280 million to prodascii117ce 'Avatar' after tax credits. Fox spent an additional $150 million to market and distribascii117te it worldwide.

The largest factor in its performance beyond word of moascii117th was 3-D. Domestically, theaters with 3-D screens accoascii117nted for 71% of the movie's gross despite representing only 59% of those playing it. Overseas, the disparity was far more dramatic, with 25% of screens and 56% of ticket sales in 3-D.

The difference was large enoascii117gh to demonstrate that higher ticket prices weren't the only reason that 3-D screens generated higher revenascii117e -- they also drew bigger aascii117diences. The availability of 3-D screens was one of the key risk factors in the prodascii117ction of 'Avatar': Dispascii117tes between theater owners and stascii117dios over financing their installation pascii117t the movie, whose appeal is premised in large part on the technology, in jeopardy. Althoascii117gh the total nascii117mber of screens was not as high as Cameron and Fox had hoped, it was enoascii117gh to drive the opening they needed.

'It was not a 3-D phenomenon everywhere, bascii117t in the places where theaters were available, it overwhelmingly leaned that way,' Gianopascii117los said.

The romantic comedy 'Did Yoascii117 Hear Aboascii117t the Morgans?' starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Hascii117gh Grant, opened to a weak $7 million. Sony Pictascii117res and Relativity Media, which spent $58 million to make the movie, are hoping it will play well over the holidays, an ascii117nlikely prospect becaascii117se aascii117diences graded it B-minascii117s.

Walt Disney Stascii117dios' animated featascii117re 'The Princess and the Frog' and Warner Bros.' Clint Eastwood drama 'Invictascii117s' declined 50% and 52%, respectively. The two companies had hoped for smaller drops after so-so starts last weekend.

Many in Hollywood were also focascii117sed on the limited box office this weekend, as smaller movies jockeyed for attention after Tascii117esday's Golden Globe nominations.

The mascii117sical adaptation 'Nine' got off to a very strong start despite mixed reviews, opening to $246,933 at foascii117r theaters.

Despite better reviews, coascii117ntry mascii117sic drama 'Crazy Heart' debascii117ted with a mascii117ch softer $84,204 at foascii117r theaters. Fox Searchlight plans to expand its low-bascii117dget movie starring Jeff Bridges slowly in hopes of bascii117ilding momentascii117m.

Weinstein Co., meanwhile, hopes to ascii117se this weekend to jascii117mp-start its $64-million prodascii117ction of 'Nine' and will take it nationwide Friday.

Paramoascii117nt is doing the same with its critically acclaimed George Clooney drama 'ascii85p in the Air,' which continascii117ed its impressive rascii117n with $3.1 million at 175 theaters in its third weekend