'Avatar' moves ahead of 'Star Wars' to become 3rd in all-time domestic box-office

The Force is definitely with James Cameron.

The writer-director's sci-fi adventure film "Avatar" has earned more than $41 million over the last few days and is on the path to its fifth consecutive No. 1 weekend at the box-office.  "Star Wars" fans may also be interested to know that "Avatar" is now the third highest grossing domestic film of all time.

Can the second-place "The Dark Knight" hold onto its spot?  At $533 million in earnings, "Knight" is $42 million ahead of Cameron's groundbreaking alien epic, which has earned an estimated $491 million domestically.

With a continued strong showing this holiday weekend and possible momentum from a Golden Globe Best Drama victory Sunday, "Avatar" has a chance to claim the No. 2 spot in a matter of weeks.

"The Book of Eli" also had a strong opening weekend earning an estimated $31 million.  The post-apocalyptic film starring Denzel Washington and directed by the Hughes Bros. also garnered some praise from movie critics.

Box Office weekend as of Sunday
1. "Avatar" -- $41 million
2. "The Book of Eli" -- $31 million
3. "The Lovely Bones" -- $17 million

Complete weekend box-office estimates will be available Monday evening.