Source:
Box Office Mojo
Posted on: Mon, Jul 21, 2008 10:45:03
Written By: Michael Dance
MichaelDance@TheCinemaSource.com
The Dark Knight blew past any semblance of competition to deliver the biggest opening weekend of all time. It scored $158.4 million, besting Spider-Man 3's $151.1 million and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest's $135.6 million. Thanks to its strength, the entire box office logged its highest grossing weekend ever. So start busting out the hyperboles, because they're all appropriate: this will be the year's biggest film. The top ten final numbers, in millions:
Among other records The Dark Knight broke: highest-grossing midnight screenings ($18.5 million, beating Revenge of the Sith's $16.9 million) and highest-grossing IMAX screenings ($6.2 million over the weekend). Six sequences of The Dark Knight were specifically shot on IMAX cameras -- the first "regular" movie to do so -- so the sold-out IMAX screenings became the hottest ticket in town, with some tickets being re-sold on eBay for more than $200.
Back in 2005, Batman Begins became a hit, scoring $205 million over the course of its run. The Dark Knight will beat that total in under eight days.
Two other movies were released this weekend -- shocking, I know. The first, the musical Mamma Mia!, actually did terrifically, scoring $27.8 million, or almost identical to what Hairspray made last year. The second, Space Chimps, debuted far back in seventh place with $7.2 million. In other words, for every four-person family that went to Space Chimps, eighty-eight people went to The Dark Knight.
Faced with unbeatable competition, most holdovers dropped heavier than usual, the worst of all being Hellboy II, which collapsed 71% from its $34.5 million opening down to $10.1 million. The smallest decline went to Journey to the Center of the Earth, which proved to be a good alternative to families who feared Batman was too dark this time around. ❏
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