LOS ANGELES, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- James Cameron's science fiction film "Avatar: The Way of Water" dominated the New Year's weekend box office in North America with an estimated three-day cume of 63.4 million U.S. dollars, data from measurement firm Comscore showed on Sunday.

"Avatar: The Way of Water," distributed by Disney's 20th Century Studios, has grossed 421.6 million dollars in North American theaters after topping the chart three weekends in a row. Boosted by the sizable haul of the big-budget tentpole, overall North American box office revenue for 2022 reached 7.46 billion dollars, 63 percent ahead of 2021.

Internationally, the film has taken in 957 million dollars, including 153 million dollars from the Chinese mainland, for a global total of 1.38 billion dollars through Sunday. It is now the third-highest global release of the COVID-19 pandemic era and the 15th-highest global release of all time.

"Avatar: The Way of Water" is the second installment in the Avatar film series directed by Cameron. It's the sequel to the 2009 blockbuster "Avatar," the highest-grossing film of all time at the global box office with 2.9 billion dollars.

Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, "Avatar: The Way of Water" tells the story of the Sully family, the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive and the tragedies they endure.

Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation's animated comedy adventure film "Puss In Boots: The Last Wish" came in second with 16.3 million dollars this weekend, pushing its North American cume to 60.7 million dollars.

Rounding out the top three, Disney and Marvel Studios' superhero film "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" earned 4.83 million dollars on its 8th weekend. The film has grossed 438 million dollars in North America for a global total of 818.5 million dollars to date.