STAR WARS - KNIGHT ONCE AGAIN WINS THE GOLD

In its fourth weekend, The Dark Knight moved within striking distance of the original Star Wars to claim the title of the second-highest-grossing movie of all time. With its domestic gross now standing at $441.5 million, the movie should overtake the George Lucas classic, which has had several rereleases that have brought its total to $461 million. At its current pace, it should surpass that figure by next weekend. Nevertheless, box analysts give the movie scant chance of breaking Titanic 's record of $601 million. Once again, the Batman movie wound up at the top of the box-office heap with $26 million, beating out the debut of the stoner comedy Pineapple Express, which earned $22.4 million, according to industry estimates. It was the first movie to hold on to the box office crown for four consecutive weeks since Lord of the Rings Return of the King did so in 2003. The only other movie to open wide was Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 , which landed in fourth place with $10.8 million, behind The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor with $16.1 million. Overall, the box office took in $120 million, down from $154 million for the comparable weekend a year ago. Comparisons, however, are dicey, given this weekend's competition from the opening of the Olympic Games in China.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers 1. The Dark Knight , $26 million; 2. Pineapple Express , $22.4 million; 3. The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, $16.1 million; 4. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, $10.8 million; 5. Step Brothers , $8.9 million; 6. Mamma Mia!, $8.1 million; 7. Journey to the Center of the Earth, $4.9 million; 8. Hancock, $3.3 million; 9. Swing Vote, $3.1 million; 10. WALL-E, $3 million.

11/08/2008