Only 'Titanic' stands in the way of 'Avatar'

And then there was one ... Another No. 1 weekend at the box office for "Avatar," which added another $34.9 million to its total, bringing its six-week gross to $551.7 million, topping "The Dark Night" for second place. Only "Titanic" stands in the way of "Avatar" becoming the highest-grossing domestic film of all time. The record stood since 1997 and it's fitting that James Cameron would top "Titanic" with "Avatar."

Brandon Gray, who tracks films for BoxOfficeMojo.com predicts "Avatar" will surpass "Titanic" in two weeks to capture the all-time domestic record. "Avatar" has already passed "Titanic" as the most successful film outside the United States and will set the all-time worldwide box-office record ($1.84 billion) any day now.

From Brandon Gray of BoxOfficeMojo.com:

Avatar kept trucking over the weekend, boasting not only the biggest gross by far but also the smallest decline among nationwide releases. James Cameron's juggernaut calmed by just 18 percent, which was almost as small as Titanic at the same point. Raking in $34.9 million, Avatar broke the record for sixth weekend gross formerly held by Titanic's $25.2 million (though Titanic retains the crown in terms of estimated attendance).

On Saturday, its 37th day, Avatar surpassed The Dark Knight's $533.3 million total to become the second highest-grossing movie of all time, though, in terms of attendance, it likely hasn't yet cracked the Top 50. At its current trajectory, Avatar will exceed Titanic's $600.8 million total within two weeks. In 38 days, Avatar's tally stands at $551.7 million, 80 percent of which from 3D presentations (including 16 percent from IMAX venues alone).

Overseas, Avatar had another $100 million plus gross, easing just 16 percent from holdovers alone and setting a new sixth week benchmark. On Saturday, it laid claim to a record that was once deemed unobtainable: biggest foreign gross ever, eclipsing Titanic's $1.24 billion. Through Sunday, Avatar has tallied nearly $1.29 billion. Italy was its top market of the week with $13.3 million (down only eight percent), while China was second with $12.5 million (off 31 percent for a record-breaking $103.1 million total), despite the communist government stripping it of its 2D screens, and France was third with $10 million (down ten percent). Worldwide, Avatar is a smidgen behind Titanic's $1.84 billion and will handily achieve the top spot on Monday.