<P> Including revenue from the 2012 and 2017 reissues , Titanic earned $659.4 million in North America and $1.528 billion in other countries , for a worldwide total of $2.187 billion . It became the highest - grossing film of all time worldwide in 1998 , and remained so for twelve years , until Avatar ( 2009 ) , also written and directed by Cameron , surpassed it in 2010 . On March 1 , 1998 , it became the first film to earn more than $1 billion worldwide and on the weekend April 13 -- 15 , 2012 -- a century after the original vessel 's foundering , Titanic became the second film to cross the $2 billion threshold during its 3D re-release . Box Office Mojo estimates that Titanic is the fifth highest - grossing film of all time in North America when adjusting for ticket price inflation . The site also estimates that the film sold over 128 million tickets in the US in its initial theatrical run . </P>
how much money did the film titanic make
$2.187 billion