Titanic Set To Smash Jurassic Parks Record

The movie 'Titanic' made its biggest splash yet over the weekend, cruising by "Jurassic Park" as the all-time top grossing film around the world with an estimated $918 million in ticket sales, its distributors said on Tuesday.

Industry experts believe 'Titanic' will steam ahead of 'Star Wars' as the highest grossing domestic film of all time within a few weeks and may become the first movie to break the $1 billion box office barrier around the world.

The epic's overseas distributor, 20th Century Fox, said the movie about a love affair aboard the doomed ocean liner generated $516 million in overseas box office revenue through Monday.

That figure, coupled with a domestic gross over $402 million, sent 'Titanic' past director Steven Spielberg's 1995 thriller about dinosaurs run amok in a theme park.

'Jurassic Park' has taken in a total $914 million worldwide. 'Titanic' is still number two in domestic markets behind 'Star Wars,' which has hauled in $461 million since opening in US theatres in 1977.

'Star Wars' is number four on the worldwide list with a total $780 million, according to trade newspaper Daily Variety.

'Titanic' opened in theatres about nine weeks ago, and its phenomenal success has sent its pre-release naysayers to their respective watery graves.

At a price tag of $200 million to produce and another $100 million to promote, advertise and market, Titanic was widely expected to lose money for its producers, Fox and Paramount Pictures.

But now experts are saying the film could generate a profit of as much as $200 million for the film studios.

Along with its box office success, the movie led the list of Oscar nominees earlier this month with a total 14 nominations including best picture.

Oscar winners will be named March 23. Fox is a unit of News Corp Ltd and Paramount is a unit of Viacom Inc.