"DARK KNIGHT" Past $500 Million Mark, Half A BILLION BABY! // # 1 TITANIC $600,788,188

by **J The Kidd** Sun Aug 31, 2008 6:19 pm

"DARK KNIGHT" Past $500 Million Mark, Half A BILLION BABY! // # 1 TITANIC $600,788,188 L_b20b00ca27fb23e896c0bd76a2f8bab7

Batman's rich alter-ego Bruce Wayne has added half a billion dollars
to his riches. "The Dark Knight" on Sunday became the second movie in
Hollywood history to top $500 million at the domestic box office,
raising its total to $502.4 million, according to estimates from
distributor Warner Bros.

The film hit that mark in just over six weeks, half the time it took
"Titanic," which reached $500 million in a little more than three
months. "Titanic," the biggest modern blockbuster, remains No. 1 on the
domestic charts with $600.8 million.

Despite its brisk pace, "The Dark Knight" is not expected to approach
the total for "Titanic," which put up smaller numbers week after week
but lingered at the top of the box office for months.

Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros., said he expects "The
Dark Knight" to finish at about $530 million, though it could reach
$550 million if business persists as strongly as it has.

"I keep raising the number because it just keeps holding better than expected," Fellman said.

"The Dark Knight" will climb to about $505 million by Labor Day, the
conclusion of Hollywood's busy summer season. That amounts to nearly
one-eighth of Hollywood's overall summer revenue of $4.2 billion, which
edges the previous summer record of $4.18 billion set last year,
according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

Factoring in today's higher admission prices, "The Dark Knight" would
need to take in about $900 million to match the number of tickets sold
by "Titanic."

Labor Day weekend was generally sleepy at theaters, with a rush of new
movies failing to find much favor with audiences. Through Sunday,
Paramount's comedy "Tropic Thunder" remained No. 1 for the third
straight weekend with $11.5 million.

The 20th Century Fox sci-fi thriller "Babylon A.D." with Vin Diesel
debuted in second place with $9.7 million, while Overture Films'
espionage drama "Traitor," starring Don Cheadle, opened at No. 5 with
$7.9 million.

Premiering at No. 7 was Lionsgate's spoof flick "Disaster Movie" with
$6.2 million. MGM's campus comedy "College" opened well outside the top
10 with $2.1 million.

The top 12 movies took in $75.2 million, down 23 percent from the same
weekend last year, when "Halloween" opened with $26.4 million.

"This is kind of an inauspicious end to a really incredible summer,"
said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers. "We limped past
the finish line."

1 Titanic Par. $600,788,188 1997
2 The Dark Knight WB $502,421,000 2008
3 Star Wars Fox $460,998,007 1977^
4 Shrek 2 DW $441,226,247 2004
5 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Uni. $435,110,554 1982^
6 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Fox $431,088,301 1999
7 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest BV $423,315,812 2006
8 Spider-Man Sony $403,706,375 2002
9 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Fox $380,270,577 2005
10 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King NL $377,027,325 2003

by **Johnnie Butters** Mon Sep 01, 2008 3:05 pm

"DARK KNIGHT" Past $500 Million Mark, Half A BILLION BABY! // # 1 TITANIC $600,788,188

"DARK KNIGHT" Past $500 Million Mark, Half A BILLION BABY! // # 1 TITANIC $600,788,188

Re: "DARK KNIGHT" Past $500 Million Mark, Half A BILLION BABY! // # 1 TITANIC $600,788,188