Dark Knight Defends Crown From Mummy

Published by Jeff Leins on: August 3rd, 2008

The Dark Knight managed to fend off The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor to maintain the top spot at the box office for a third consecutive weekend. TDK grossed an estimated $43.8 million and the third Mummy movie made $42.5 million.

Knight has set plenty of records, so it should be no surprise it’s the first and only movie of 2008 to hold the top spot for three consecutive weekends.

Batman is just shy of the $400 million mark, a club occupied by only seven other movies. The fastest to hit that mark was Shrek 2 in 43 days. The Dark Knight is poised just out of reach after only 17 days. It will probably cross the threshold on Tuesday.

With its monstrous pacing, the debate has heated up whether it will pass Titanic’s massive $600 million domestic total to be the most financially successful movie ever. Experts are split, but it’s too early to tell. It will likely claim the second largest title from Star Wars.

Mummy 3 actually had a larger Friday, dethroning the juggernaut briefly. But once the collective public realized the Mummy sucks, they turned to old faithful. Right now Mummy sitting at 9% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

A few people made it an all Brendan Fraser weekend apparently, because JTTCOTE3D stayed in fifth. It just so happens that’s my fifth favorite acronym.

The other new opener, Swing Vote starring Kevin Costner, was a huge failure. Only $6.3 million and sixth place. In all fairness, it opened in fewer theaters than most of the other summer blockbusters, but that might have something to do with it starring Kevin Costner. Early 90s? Huge. 2008? Not so much.

X-Files: I Want to Believe also tanked from its poor fourth place opening, dropping 66% to ninth with just $3.4 million. Say goodbye to Scully and Mulder.

1. The Dark Knight $43.8 million
2. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor $42.5 million
3. Step Brothers $16.3 million
4. Mamma Mia! $13.1 million
5. Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D $6.9 million
6. Swing Vote $6.3 million
7. Hancock $5.2 million
8. Wall-E $4.7 million
9. X-Files: I Want to Believe $3.4 million
10. Space Chimps $2.8 million