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'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' becomes highest grossing domestic movie of all time

To paraphrase Obi-Wan Kenobi, this movie has become more powerful than we could have possibly imagined.
This photo provided by Disney shows Daisy Ridley as Rey, left, and John Boyega as Finn, in a scene from the new film, \"Star Wars: The Force Awakens.\" (Photo by Film Frame/Disney/Lucasfilm/AP)
This photo provided by Disney shows Daisy Ridley as Rey, left, and John Boyega as Finn, in a scene from the new film, \"Star Wars: The Force Awakens.\" 

To paraphrase Obi-Wan Kenobi, this movie has become more powerful than we could have possibly imagined.

Fueled by hype and a nostalgic yet progressive script, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has conquered "Avatar" for the title of No. 1 North American movie of all time — in just 20 days.

According to to a release from Disney, J.J. Abrams' "Star Wars" earned enough at the box office on Wednesday to pass "Avatar's" $760.5 million lifetime gross.

"We are humbled and grateful to announce that, thanks to fans new and old, 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' is now the highest grossing film of all-time at the domestic box office," read a "Thank You" posting on StarWars.com, the franchise's official site.

The global box office record still belongs to "Avatar," however, with James Cameron's blue heroes taking in $1.6 billion since the 2009 release.

"The Force Awakens" has earned $1.6 billion around the world to date.

The world-wide race to the top will undoubtedly heat up when "Star Wars" opens in China on Saturday, Jan. 9.

Of course, adjusting for inflation, "Star Wars: TFA" isn't even in the top five domestic money makers. "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."

This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com.