BATMAN BEGINS - THE DARK KNIGHT CONTINUES RECORD-BREAKING BOX OFFICE RUN

THE DARK KNIGHT CONTINUES RECORD-BREAKING BOX OFFICE RUN

The Dark Knight has broken another box office record, becoming the fastest film to earn $200 million (£100 million).

The Batman Begins sequel has earned $203.8 million (£102.4 million) in just five days, smashing the previous record set by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which took eight days to achieve the feat.

Christopher Nolan's film has already broken records for midnight preview screenings and the highest non-holiday Monday and Tuesday grosses of all time.

It took $66.4 million (£33.1 million) on its opening night, according to distributor Warner Bros, surpassing the previous record of $59.8 million (£29.8 million) set by Spider-Man in 2007.

And it was revealed on Monday that the film - which sees Christian Bale returning as Batman - has earned the best opening weekend ever, with $155.3 million (£77.7 million) in its first three days on release in the US and Canada.

In less than a week, having earned $203.8 million (£102.4 million), The Dark Knight is already close to surpassing the $205.3 million (£103.1 million) that its antecedent, 2005's Batman Begins, earned in its entire US theatrical run.

"We're very proud of the film," said Warner Bros head of distribution Dan Fellman earlier this week.

"It's the magic of the movie business, how one film just stands out above the others," he was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying.

The Dark Knight is released today in the UK.