The Dark Knight topped the North American box office for the fourth consecutive weekend with $26 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Lifting its total gross to $441.5 million, Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed sequel to Batman Begins climbed to the third spot on the all-time domestic box office chart (not adjusted for inflation). This puts The Dark Knight right behind Star Wars and Titanic, which reached $460.9 million and $600.7 million, respectively.
Debuting in second place with $22.4 million was David Gordon Green's stoner action-comedy Pineapple Express, which stars Seth Rogen and James Franco as two potheads on the run from a bunch of ruthless criminals. Since its release Wednesday, the R-rated film has grossed $40.4 million.
Meanwhile, Universal's The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor fell to No. 3, earning $16.1 million and reaching a total haul of $70.6 million after two weeks in release. Directed by Rob Cohen, the sequel to The Mummy and The Mummy Returns stars Brendan Fraser as a an explorer struggling to take down China's Dragon Emperor (Jet Li).
New entry The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 collected $10.7 million in fourth place, bringing its five-day cumulative gross to $19.7 million. Starring Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, and Blake Lively, the film follows four best girlfriends as they embark on their first year of college.
At No. 5, Sony's comedy Step Brothers took home $8.9 million, lifting its domestic gross to $80.9 million after a strong three-week run. Directed by Adam McKay and produced by Judd Apatow, the film stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as two spoiled men who become competitive stepbrothers after their single parents decide to get married.
Universal's Mamma Mia!slipped to No. 6 this weekend, pulling in $8 million and reaching a cumulative gross of $104 million. The Phyllida Lloyd-directed big-screen version of the famous Broadway musical stars Amanda Seyfried as a bride-to-be who tries to figure out the identity of her real father. Meryl Streep plays Seyfried's mother.
Following in seventh place was Eric Brevig's 3-D adventure Journey to the Center of the Earth, which after this weekend's earnings of $4.8 million brought its domestic total to $81.7 million following five weeks in release. At No. 8, Sony's Hancock took home $3.3 million to reach a cumulative gross of $221.7 million.
Two films rounded out the top 10 this weekend: Disney's Swing Vote, starring Kevin Costner, earned $3.1 million in ninth place for a total of $12 million, while Pixar's WALL-E finished tenth, with a weekend gross of $3 million and a seven-week total of $210.1 million.
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)
THE DARK KNIGHT Defeats THE MUMMY
THE DARK KNIGHT Remains at the Top
THE DARK KNIGHT Dominates Box Office
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY #1 at the Box Office
Will Smith's HANCOCK Tops North American Box Office
WALL-E and WANTED Dominate North American Box Office
GET SMART Is #1 at the Box Office
THE INCREDIBLE HULK Has a Green Box-Office Weekend
KUNG FU PANDA Messes with ZOHAN (and Wins)
SEX AND THE CITY Tops Box office