Batman Flies High Over the Box Office

Not only did Batman fly high over Gotham City’s skies this weekend, but he also smashed box office records all throughout the nation. Christopher Nolan’s latest in the Caped Crusader franchise, The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale as Gotham’s Knight and the late Heath Ledger as his new psychotic villain, The Joker, broke all opening weekend box office records, grossing an estimated $155.3 million. The movie also stars Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Caine.

Although every other movie paled in comparison at the box office, the ABBA-based musical Mamma Mia! managed to debut on screens with an approximate $27.6 million. Will Smith’s superhero movie, Hancock, moved down to the number three spot, taking in $14 million, while Brendan Fraser’s family-friendly, 3D adventure, Journey to the Center of the Earth, took in just over $11.9 million. Most disappointing, however, was Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, which slid all the way down to the number five spot from its number one opening last weekend, earning just over $10 million.

Will The Dark Knight continue to break box office records in the coming weeks? Or will the hype finally die down? Find out in next week’s Top of the Box Office report.