Cameron cash in with Avatar bonanza

As expected, James Cameron’s Avatar has turned into a film phenomenon, sweeping away all its contemporaries and threatening to destroy all-time records.

By this week, the 3D sci-fi flick had racked up $1.62 billion in ticket sales, placing it way ahead of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King ($1.12 billion) already and with plenty more to come.

That leaves Avatar second in the all-time list behind Cameron’s other epic effort, Titanic and the $220 million needed to overhaul the sinking-ship film doesnt look insurmountable on current form.

Whether Avatar can match Titanic’s legendary haul at the Oscars remains to be seen.