Unbeatable 'Avatar' headed for seventh weekend

Will the newly anointed biggest all-time box office hit stay at the top for another weekend? Or will Mel Gibson's thriller, Edge of Darkness, finally move the behemoth blockbuster aside after six weeks on top?

That depends on how many more people want to see the epic - or see it again. Though it has beat Titanic for all-time biggest box office winner, there have been only 56 million admissions in the US to date, compared to 128 million viewers that Titanic totaled after about nine months, according to Box Office Mojo. It still has some catching up to do in terms of tickets.

Yet Avatar's performance has been fast. It took only 39 days to reach the impressive worldwide record. Titanic, the previous record-holder, took months in the theaters to achieve the top spot.

Avatar is also poised to be a leading contender in this year's Oscar race, when it could pass the $2 billion worldwide sales figure before the end of its run in theaters.

Since the film doesn't appear to be losing momentum significantly, it should maintain its top ranking, though it could be close. It depends on whether Mel Gibson still has drawing power since it has been more than seven years since his last starring role. If he was returning in Lethal Weapon 5 this weekend, Avatar might be blown away.

RC