Anime News

'Dark Knight' Bakes the 'Pineapple Express' First Since 2003 to Spend a Month on Top
Date: 8/11/2008
The Dark Knight spent a fourth weekend at the top of box office, dropping just 39% and earning an estimated $26 million. The latest Batman film bested the stoner action comedy Pineapple Express, which earned an estimated $22.4 million and may well have won the weekend if it hadn?t spread out its audience by opening on Wednesday.



The Dark Knight becomes the first film since Lord of the Rings: Return of the King to spend four consecutive weekends at the top of the weekend charts. In just 24 days The Dark Knight has earned $441.5 million, an astounding total that works out to about 62 million admissions at today?s prices, which is, interestingly enough, just about the same number of tickets that Return of the King racked up with its total domestic box office run of $377 million at 2003 ticket prices.



The Dark Knight will face a stiffer test next weekend when the highly anticipated (and positively-reviewed?70% favorable so far on Rotten Tomatoes) comedy Tropic Thunder opens, but whatever happens, no one should ever discount the Caped Crusader?s ?legs.?



Two other films have also continued to demonstrate great ?legs??Will Smith?s Hancock has spent six weeks in the top ten and has earned almost $222 million, while Pixar?s Wall-e has spent seven weeks in the top ten, and will pass Kung Fu Panda this coming week establishing itself as the top animated feature of 2008. Speaking of ?legs,? Iron Man stayed in the top twenty during in its 15th week in theaters and actually stretched out its lead (now $1.7 million) over Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull for the #2 film of the year so far.



The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor dropped some 60.2% in its second frame, earning an estimated $16.1 million and running its total to $70.6 million. Brendan Fraser, who stars in the third modern Mummy movie and Journey to the Center of the Earth, which remains in the top ten at #7 and has earned over $81 million in five weeks, is likely to end up with two $100 million movies this summer, which is no mean feat.



Hellboy II: The Golden Army fell to the twelfth spot in its fifth week of release, but still added $1.2 million to its total, while X-Files: I Want to Believe continues to struggle, falling out the top ten (to #13) in its third week, and posting a poor $673 per theater average.
Source: ICv2