Dark Knight smashes records
2008-08-06 10:35
Los Angeles - Batman sequel The Dark Knight smashed yet another Hollywood record as it cleared the $400 million domestic box office mark in 18 days, less than half the time it took Shrek 2 to reach that milestone, Warner Bros Pictures said on Tuesday.
After a third straight weekend at No 1 in US and Canadian theatres - grossing $42.7 million from Friday to Sunday - Dark Knight amassed $6.3 million on Monday to bring its domestic tally to $400.03 million, the Time Warner Inc-owned movie distributor reported.
The previous record holder, the computer-animated storybook spoof Shrek 2, crossed the $400 million mark in 43 days in 2004, according to box office watcher Media By Numbers.
Warner Bros has said it expects Dark Knight to add at least another $100 million to its North American ticket sales, surpassing the $461 million haul of 1977's Star Wars and its two reissues. Star Wars ranks as the No 2 movie of all time in the United States and Canada.
While Dark Knight appears destined to become only the second movie to gross $500 million domestically, the $601 million record held by 1997's Titanic seems unlikely to sink, said Media By Numbers president Paul Dergarabedian.
Gone with the Wind grossed $1.4 billion
"That $600 million is kind of one for the ages. It's held for 10 years," Dergarabedian told Reuters. "It's very, very difficult to get from $500 million to $600 million. But the fact we're even talking about it tells you something about the strength of The Dark Knight and what a phenomenon it is."
Adjusted for inflation, though, Titanic ranks at No 6 in the record books, far behind Gone with the Wind at $1.4 billion, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo.
The Dark Knight, the second of the newly revived Warner Bros film franchise based on the adventures of DC Comics' Batman character, is a follow-up to 2005's Batman Returns.
Christopher Nolan directed both films and Welsh actor Christian Bale stars as the Caped Crusader.
Interest in the sequel has been stoked by Heath Ledger's edgy turn as the villainous Joker, in what turned out to be the Australian actor's last completed role before he died of an accidental overdose of prescription pills in January.
The movie already has broken several domestic box-office records, including the biggest single-day of all time for its first day in theatres ($67.2 million); biggest opening weekend
($158.4 million) and fastest to $200 million (five days).
This past weekend, Dark Knight had grossed an additional $205 million overseas, Warner Bros said.