Los Angeles, California - Avatar: Fire and Ash has surpassed the $1 billion mark at the global box office, as it kept the top spot in North American theaters with another $40 million in ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The third installment in director James Cameron's blockbuster movie series has now earned $306 million in the US and Canada, and another $777 million abroad, putting the total at $1.08 billion, Exhibitor Relations reported.

Fire and Ash stars Zoe Saldana as Na'vi warrior Neytiri and Sam Worthington as ex-Marine Jake Sully, who must battle a new foe threatening their family's life on the planet Pandora.

It is the fourth Cameron film to pass the $1 billion mark, with the first two Avatar films and Titanic.

Celebrities Tommy Lee Jones mourns daughter Victoria after shocking death

In second place in North America was Zootopia 2, Disney's feel-good animated film and an Oscar contender, at $19 million. Its global total now stands at nearly $1.6 billion.

Coming in third at $14.9 million was Lionsgate's The Housemaid, a film version of Freida McFadden's best-selling novel about a young woman (Sydney Sweeney) who is hired by a wealthy couple (Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar) with dark secrets.

Marty Supreme, A24's period sports drama starring Timothee Chalamet, finished in fourth place with $12.6 million.

Anaconda, the new meta comedy action flick starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black as friends trying to reboot the original 1997 horror film, finished in fifth place with $10 million.

Rounding out the top 10 are: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants ($8.2 million), David ($8 million), Song Sung Blue ($5.8 million), Wicked: For Good ($3.3 million), and Five Nights at Freddy's 2 ($2.7 million).