'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' overtakes 'Avatar' as highest-grossing film in US history

Star Wars: The Force Awakens just pushed James Cameron's Avatar aside as the top-grossing film in North America. In just 20 days of release, the seventh installment in the space opera saga has earned more than Avatars $760.5 million lifetime gross.

From Variety:

One important caveat is that this massive haul does not account for inflation. When pricing increases are factored in, Gone With the Wind remains the highest-grossing film in history with $1.7 billion and the first Star Wars is runner-up with $1.5 billion. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is in 21st place behind classics such as The Sound of Music, E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial and Titanic.

Globally, Star Wars: The Force Awakens ranks as the fourth highest-grossing pic in history, having earned $1.5 billion worldwide. It opens this weekend in China, the worlds second-biggest market for film. Depending on how enthusiastically it is received in the Peoples Republic, The Force Awakens could shoot past Avatars record $2.8 billion global haul.