James Cameron with star Sam Worthington on the set of 'Avatar.' (Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox)

“Titanic” may have been the major movie behemoth ruling the books for years as the biggest international release of all time, but just like its namesake, the movie hit a formidable iceberg in the form of sci-fi spectacular, “Avatar.”

Over the weekend, with an unbroken six-week reign at the box office, “Avatar” ran neck and neck with “Titanic” in ticket sales. “Titanic” might have racked up a seemingly unbeatable $1.843 billion in 1997-1998, but over a decade later, “Avatar” could literally surpass that feat within a day or so with its current $1.841 billion sales and counting.

International ticket sales for “Avatar” already stands at a whopping $1.288 billion, besting the record set by “Titanic” at $1.242 billion during its screening.

In terms of North American figures (U.S. and Canada), meanwhile, “Titanic” still lords it over the sci-fi action/adventure with $601 million worth of ticket sales. However, “Avatar” (with over $552 million) already beat 2008’s “The Dark Knight” to be the second biggest movie of all time in that market.

While “Avatar” now earned director James Cameron the distinction of making the biggest international sci-fi release of all time, it would be important to note that these data reported by Reuters are not yet adjusted for inflation. “Avatar” also enjoys added sales advantage if you consider that 3D screenings are sold at higher prices, with Imax Corp. reportedly declaring selling a record $134 million tickets worldwide for Cameron’s stunning new film.

When adjusted for inflation, however, the biggest movie of all time in North America is reportedly still 1939's "Gone with the Wind," with sales of almost $1.5 billion.

The idea for “Avatar” had been brewing in Cameron’s mind since 1994, with him producing an 80-page treatment that he was said to have written in just two weeks. At that time, the technology to translate his vision to the big screen hadn’t existed yet.

When Cameron finally went to work on “Avatar,” he sought out WETA Digital, renowned for its work in “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy and “King Kong” for the CGI technology to bring life to his alien world in photorealistic 3D imagery.

“Avatar” is James Cameron’s return to feature film directing after his own 1997 monster hit, “Titanic.” In this context and with the massive numbers racked up by both his movies, Cameron is truly the undisputed king of the (movie) world.