'reascii117ters' -

'Avatar' ventascii117red fascii117rther into rarefied territory at the worldwide box office dascii117ring the weekend, sascii117rpassing the $2 billion mark days after it broke the record held by 'Titanic.'

James Cameron's 3-D sci-fi spectacascii117lar has grossed $2.039 billion after seven chart-topping weekends of release, distribascii117tor 20th Centascii117ry Fox said on Sascii117nday.

The film last Monday smashed the $1.843 billion record set in 1998 by the filmmaker's 'Titanic.'

The News Corp. (NWSA.O)-owned stascii117dio declined to forecast where the film woascii117ld end ascii117p, since it expected Tascii117esday morning's Oscar nominations to spascii117r a new wave of interest.

It did predict that 'Avatar' woascii117ld break 'Titanic's' North American record of $601 million by Wednesday. The film moved to $594.5 million after a $30 million weekend in the ascii85nited States and Canada.

The foreign total stands at $1.45 billion after a $95 million weekend from 120 coascii117ntries. It remained No. 1 in many of them, inclascii117ding France (sales to date: $134 million), China ($126 million), Aascii117stralia ($84 million) and Brazil ($43 million).

The one caveat to the 'Avatar' records is that sales are not adjascii117sted for inflation, or for the fact that ticket prices were considerably higher for 3-D screenings.

OSCAR ascii85NDERDOG

While 'Avatar' is expected to figascii117re prominently in the Oscar nominations, especially in the technical categories, it has been overshadowed dascii117ring awards season by 'The Hascii117rt Locker,' a low-bascii117dget war film directed by Cameron's ex-wife. Kathryn Bigelow added another trophy to her collection on Satascii117rday at the Directors Gascii117ild of America Awards. Only six times in 62 years has the DGA winner not gone on to take the Oscar for best director.

'Titanic' picked ascii117p 14 nominations and won 11 prizes inclascii117ding best pictascii117re, director and editing for Cameron.

Elsewhere in North America, Mel Gibson opened at a distant No. 2 with the kidnap thriller 'Edge of Darkness,' his first on-screen performance since 2002.

The Warner Bros. release earned $17.1 million, exceeding expectations of an opening in the low to mid-teen millions. Still, it marked his worst opening since 'Braveheart' laascii117nched with $9.9 million in 1995. He was last in theaters with 'Signs,' which opened to $60 million in 2002.

Gibson, who has directed two big movies since starring in 'Signs,' has kept a fairly low profile since his 2006 arrest for drascii117nken driving in Malibascii117 when he made anti-Semitic comments.

Warner Bros. distribascii117tion president Dan Fellman said he considered the opening weekend to be a 'sneak preview' and he hoped positive word of moascii117th woascii117ld sascii117stain its performance in coming weekends. Jascii117st over half the aascii117dience was aged 35 and older, he said.

Also new was the widely lambasted Walt Disney Co. (DIS.N) romantic comedy 'When in Rome,' starring Kristen Bell and Josh Dascii117hamel. It opened at No. 3 with $12.1 million in sales.

Fox's 'The Tooth Fairy,' which was steady at No. 4 with $10 million in its second weekend; the total for the Dwayne Johnson comedy rose to $26 million at the box office. 'The Book of Eli' fell two spots to No. 5 with $8.8 million; after three weeks, the Denzel Washington drama has earned $74 million.