BOX OFFICE

Avatar Take Beats Expectations

Revision adds $4M to ticket sales.

Avatar may not be as successful as Titanic, but revised calculations show James Cameron's film made an opening gross of $77 million, more than the $73 million originally announced. Domestically, this amount places Avatar narrowly behind record-holder I Am Legend, which opened at $77.2 million, and the film also had a higher-than-expected take overseas, grossing $165.5 million in its foreign debut. Although the blizzard that hit the East Coast this weekend may have hampered turnout, the tiny 3 percent drop from Saturday to Sunday, considered an "unheard of feat," shows the sci-fi flick is largely benefiting from word-of-mouth.