MUMBAI: After raking in $41.3 million in its fifth weekend, Fox’s Avatar edged out Star Wars to become the third biggest North American release in history.

If things persist, James Cameron’s sci-fi adventure will secure second place within a week and will cross $500m by the end of Monday, the Martin Luther King Day public holiday.

While Avatar‘s domestic total stands at $491.8 million after garnering in another $41.3 million over the weekend, Star Wars had made $460.9 million domestically in its original run and several reissues. Titanic made $600 million while The Dark Knight amassed $533.3 million.

While Titanic’s $600.8 million haul may still be beyond Avatar’s reach, some experts believe Cameron’s new blockbuster can still reach the mark.

Buoyed by a $125 million overseas number one spot this weekend, Avatar’s international and worldwide tallies have reached $1.115 billion and $1.606 billion respectively, giving a hope that it will overtake Titanic within the next two weeks.