The Dark Knight stormed to the top of the North American box office this weekend with $158.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Praised by critics nationwide, Christopher Nolan's anticipated follow-up to Batman Begins easily slashed its competition, beating the all-time $151.1 million opening record of Spider-Man 3.
Starring Christian Bale, the action-adventure drama follows Batman as he struggles to protect Gotham City from the ruthless Joker (Heath Ledger). The Dark Knight also outperformed its predecessor, which opened with only $48.7 million in 2005.
Debuting in second place with $27.7 million was Universal's Mamma Mia! Based on the popular Broadway musical and directed by Phyllida Lloyd, the movie centers on a bride-to-be (Amanda Seyfried) who tracks down three men — one of whom may be her real father.
At No. 3, Sony's actioner Hancock took in $14 million, lifting its domestic total to $191.5 million after three weeks in release. The Peter Berg-directed film stars Will Smith as a drunken superhero who agrees to revamp his damaged image within the community.
Meanwhile, Journey to the Center of the Earth slipped to No. 4 with a weekend gross of $12.3 million, reaching a cumulative gross of $43.5 million after a two-week run. Distributed by New Line Cinema, the 3-D live-action flick follows a scientist on his quest to locate a secret world at the Earth's core.
Last week's box office winner Hellboy II: The Golden Army dropped to fifth place, collecting $10.1 million and bringing its total haul to $56.5 million. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, the sequel to 2004's Hellboy stars Ron Perlman as a friendly demon who protects humankind from the dark forces of the underworld.
Pixar's computer-animated WALL-E earned $10 million, reaching a domestic total of $182.7 million after four weeks in release. Directed by Andrew Stanton, WALL-E tells the story of a small robot who falls for a probe droid.
New entry Space Chimps landed at No. 7, with only $7.1 million from ticket sales at 2,511 sites. Torn apart by the nation's top critics, the sci-fi adventure flick follows three NASA chimps on their quest to protect an uncharted planet's inhabitants from their ruthless leader.
Following closely at No. 8 was Timur Bekmambetov's action hit Wanted, which took home $5 million and lifted its cumulative gross to $123.3 million after four weeks in release. Starring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie, the film centers on a nobody whose life takes a drastic turn after he joins a fraternity of assassins.
Two films rounded out the top ten: Get Smart picked up $4.1 million at No. 9, while DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda finished with $1.8 million in tenth place.
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)
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