Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 have been expelled from the exclusive club thanks to Avatar: The Way Of Water's ongoing box office success, which has propelled it into the top 15 highest grossing movies of all time globally.
After a 13-year wait, James Cameron's much anticipated sequel to the all-time best earning film eventually debuted on December 16. Avatar: The Way Of Water has received accolades for its powerful messages of family togetherness and environmental responsibility, as well as for its ground-breaking use of motion capture technology to bring Pandora to life both above and below the surf.
Avatar: The Way Of Water has reportedly earned $86.3 million during the course of the four-day New Year's holiday weekend, bringing its overall earnings to a respectable total of just under $1.4 billion, according to Variety.
In doing so, it has now surpassed well-known blockbusters like Black Panther ($1.382 billion) and Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi ($1.332 billion), as well as ejecting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ($1.342 billion) from the coveted top 15 all-time global list.
The majority of Avatar: The Way Of Water's income, like that of other blockbuster films, has come from foreign countries, where the film has earned just over $957 million, while domestic markets have contributed just over $440 million to the film's global box office.
According to Cameron, Way Of Water has to earn more than $2 billion in revenue to be considered a success, given its $350 million expenditure as well as the $100 million allocated for marketing.
The $66.8 million three-day total for Avatar: The Way Of Water in its third weekend of release was actually a four percent gain over the previous weekend, demonstrating how well the film held up throughout that time.
It was the fourth-highest third weekend gross in history.