LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – “Avatar” sped past the $1  billion mark at the worldwide box office after three weekends  in release, making it the fourth-biggest movie of all time,  according to data released yesterday.

James Cameron’s 3-D sci-fi epic earned $1.02 billion,  powered by sales of $202 million during the New Year holiday  weekend, distributor 20th Century Fox said.

The only movies ahead of it are Cameron’s “Titanic” ($1.8  billion), “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”  ($1.12 billion), and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s  Chest” ($1.07 billion).

North American moviegoers chipped in $68.3 million, setting  a record for a film in its third weekend. The old mark of $45  million was set by “Spider-Man” in 2002.

After 17 days in cinemas across the United States and  Canada, “Avatar” has earned $352.1 million, placing it at No.  15 among all movies in terms of ticket sales.

Fox, a unit of News Corp., forecast the film would end up  in the $500 million range in the North American market.