Dark Knight Movies Box Office Comparison

The Dark Knight Rises: Christian Bale in Batsuit.

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ passes $600 million milestone at the worldwide box office

Sept. 10 update: The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan’s third and final Batman movie, is lagging far behind its predecessor, The Dark Knight, at the domestic box office. Outside North America, however, The Dark Knight Rises has far surpassed “Batman 2.” In fact, TDKR‘s international take has just passed the $600 million milestone overseas after adding $13 million in 64 markets. The film’s international cume currently stands at an estimated $603.4 million (vs. TDK‘s $469.7 million), representing 58 percent of “Batman 3’s”worldwide total.

According to figures found at Boxofficemojo.com, The Dark Knight Rises’ top international market by far (up to Sept. 2) is the United Kingdom, where TDKR is the year’s top-grossing movie with $86.52 million. The UK is followed by the following: Australia with $43.03 million, China with $42.1 million (up to Sept. 9), South Korea with $41.99 million, France with $32.83 million, Germany with $31.95 million, Mexico with $30.71 million, Brazil with $26.1 million, and Japan with $24.11 million.

The Dark Knight Rises’ estimated domestic cume is $437.84 million (vs. The Dark Knight‘s $533.34 million), for a worldwide grand total of $1.041 billion. TDKR is the no. 10 movie on Box Office Mojo’s all-time worldwide box office chart, sandwiched between Rob Marshall / Johnny Depp / Penélope Cruz’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($1,043.9 billion) and George Lucas / Ewan McGregor / Natalie Portman’s Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace ($1.027 billion).

At this stage it’s unclear whether or not TDKR will surpass nos. 7 and 8 on the list: Gore Verbinski / Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and Pixar’s animated blockbuster Toy Story 3.

Worldwide box office: Which Batman movie is ahead?

For comparisons sake: At no. 13 on the worldwide box office chart, The Dark Knight‘s total is $1.003 billion. However, adjusted for inflation* (a more accurate indication of ticket sales), in 2012 U.S. dollars The Dark Knight cumed at approximately $1,095.5 billion worldwide – $595.7 million domestic plus $499.7 million international. In other words, TDK remains about $52 million ahead of TDKR. (Note: Adjustments for the myriad currency-exchange fluctuations would be a long and laborious effort beyond our capabilities.)

The Dark Knight Rises cast

The Dark Knight Rises was directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay by Nolan and his brother, Jonathan Nolan, which was inspired by Charles Dickens’ novel of the French Revolution A Tale of Two Cities.

In addition to Christian Bale and Michael Caine, the TDKR cast includes Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman, Tom Conti, and Matthew Modine.

* The Dark Knight‘s inflation-adjusted domestic box office via the National Association of Theater Owners; inflation-adjusted international box office via the U.S. Department of Labor’s inflation index.

The Dark Knight Rises’ China box office source: The Hollywood Reporter.

Christian Bale and Michael Caine The Dark Knight Rises image: Ron Philips | Warner Bros.

Sept. 2

The Dark Knight Rises box office: Surpasses $1 billion worldwide

The Dark Knight Rises earned an estimated $5.88 million this past weekend in North America (as per Box Office Mojo) and an estimated $46.4 million at the international box office (as per The Hollywood Reporter). Note: As usual, the international “weekend” box office figure includes weekday screenings in some countries. Anyhow, The Dark Knight Rises’ current worldwide box office cume stands at $1.005 billion. In other words, TDKR has passed the $1 billion milestone – and it has surpassed its predecessor at the worldwide box office. Well, if we choose to ignore inflation and currency exchange rates, that is.

Helping The Dark Knight Rises pass the $1 billion mark were Italy, where TDKR debuted with $8.8 million, and China, where Christopher Nolan’s third and final Batman movie opened with an estimated $28.5 million. Note: In China, The Dark Knight Rises was the no. 2 movie, behind Marc Webb / Andrew Garfield / Emma Stone’s The Amazing Spider-Man, which collected $33.3 million. (Give China another decade or so, and that country will become a bigger market than the United States for Hollywood movies – and quite likely for just about everything else as well.)

The Dark Knight Rises is currently – and in all likelihood shall remain – the no. 2 2012 release, trailing only The Avengers’ considerably heftier $1.5 billion. Here and there, Warner Bros.’ Batman movie has beaten the Disney / Marvel superhero ensemble flick: a week or so ago, The Dark Knight Rises’ surpassed The Avengers in the United Kingdom (more info further below).

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle image: Ron Philips / Warner Bros.

The Dark Knight Rises vs. The Dark Knight worldwide box office: which Batman movie is ahead?

The Dark Knight Rises’ worldwide cume currently stands at an estimated $1,005.2 billion worldwide – $431.19 million in North America and $574 million overseas (as found at Box Office Mojo). In fact, Christopher Nolan’s third Batman movie has just passed the $1 billion milestone worldwide after solid openings in China and Italy. It’s the no. 12 movie on Box Office Mojo’s all-time worldwide box office chart, sandwiched between Tim Burton / Johnny Depp / Mia Wasikowska’s Alice in Wonderland ($1,024.3 billion) and “Batman 2” a.k.a. The Dark Knight ($1.003 billion). [Photo: Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / alter ego Batman in The Dark Knight.]

So, The Dark Knight Rises is now officially a bigger box office hit than The Dark Knight worldwide, right? Well, “officially,” yes. Factually, not necessarily. After all, in the real world there are pesky details such as inflation and currency-exchange fluctuations, which can make things look quite a bit different.

Adjusting for inflation* (which is also a more accurate indication of ticket sales), in 2012 U.S. dollars The Dark Knight cumed at approximately $1,095.5 billion worldwide – $595.7 million domestic plus $499.7 million international; in other words, TDK remains about $90 million ahead of TDKR. Unfortunately, adjustments for the myriad currency-exchange fluctuations would be a long and laborious affair beyond our capabilities.

The Dark Knight Rises beats The Avengers in the U.K.

Aug. 29 update: Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises collected an estimated $16 million this past weekend at the international box office. TDKR‘s current cume stands at $535.2 million. The third and final installment in Nolan’s Batman franchise has reached $959.2 million worldwide.

The most notable bit of news from The Dark Knight Rises’ international front is the United Kingdom. With $82.1 million, TDKR has surpassed Joss Whedon’s The Avengers to become the UK’s biggest box office hit of 2012 and, as per Box Office Mojo (and not taking inflation into account), the “highest-grossing superhero movie ever” in the country.

The Dark Knight Rises is opening this week in China and Italy, its last two major territories. With the aforementioned worldwide cume of $959.2 million, TDKR should have no trouble passing the $1 billion milestone at the global box office.

The Dark Knight Rises box office: TDKR passes $900 million milestone worldwide

Aug. 21 update: First of all, there are no official figures as yet. That’s because Warner Bros. hasn’t released international box office data for Monday, August 20. But considering that The Dark Knight Rises’ Monday cume stood at $899.76 million (as found at Box Office Mojo), it’s not mere speculation to assert that Christopher Nolan’s third and final Batman movie passed the $900 million milestone yesterday. That is, unless international weekend estimates released Sunday were way off.

But if those estimates are indeed on target, something else equally momentous has taken place as well: The Dark Knight Rises has surpassed The Dark Knight at the international box office. TDKR had a $488.6 million cume as of Sunday, Aug. 19, vs. TDK‘s $469.7 million cume. But then again, if you choose not to ignore pesky details such as inflation and currency fluctuations, things will look quite a bit different. Adjusting for U.S. inflation rates, The Dark Knight cumed at approximately $500 million in 2012 U.S. dollars; in other words, it remains ahead of The Dark Knight Rises though their positions should be reversed by next weekend. Adjustments for the myriad currency fluctuations would be a long and laborious affair beyond our capabilities.

The Dark Knight Rises on the all-time worldwide box office chart

On the all-time worldwide box office chart – not adjusted for either inflation or currency exchange fluctuations – The Dark Knight Rises is no. 22, between Mike Newell / Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ($896.9m) and Steven Spielberg / Sam Neill’s Jurassic Park ($914.7m).

With $1.003 billion, The Dark Knight is no. 12, between Chris Columbus / Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone ($974.8m) and Tim Burton / Johnny Depp’s Alice in Wonderland ($1,024.3 billion).

Will The Dark Knight Rises reach the $1 billion mark worldwide? Quite likely, considering that the film earned about $32 million worldwide last weekend, and has yet to open in China and Italy. How far Batman will fly above the $1 billion mark remains to be seen.

 The Dark Knight Rises box office: TDKR has passed $400 million milestone in North America

Aug. 20 update: The Dark Knight Rises has passed the $400 million milestone at the domestic box office. That happened on Friday, August 17, when Christopher Nolan’s third and final Batman movie added $3.12 million to reach a cume of $401.89 million.

The Dark Knight Rises took 29 days to pass the $400 million mark in North America. The current record holder is another 2012 release, Joss Whedon’s The Avengers. The Marvel superhero ensemble starring Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Hiddleston reached $400 million at the domestic box office after only 14 days. Now, bear in mind that The Avengers had the advantage of 3D surcharges, which can inflate the price of a movie ticket by up to 40 percent or whereabouts.

The Dark Knight ahead of The Dark Knight Rises

Also ahead of The Dark Knight Rises are Nolan’s own The Dark Knight, 18 days (though ahead of The Avengers in terms of ticket sales); and James Cameron / Sam Worthington’s Avatar, 23 days. Note that Avatar also had the 3D-surcharge advantage.

To date, only 12 movies have reached the $400 million milestone at the domestic box office (ignoring inflation, that is) during their initial run. The other eight titles are the following: DreamWorks’ Shrek 2, Gore Verbinski / Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Lee Unkrich’s Toy Story 3, James Cameron / Leonardo DiCaprio / Kate Winslet’s Titanic, Sam Raimi / Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, George Lucas / Ewan McGregor / Natalie Portman’s Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Michael Bay / Shia LaBeouf / Megan Fox’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and a third 2012 release, Gary Ross / Jennifer Lawrence’s The Hunger Games.

Additionally, Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and Disney’s The Lion King also reached the $400 million mark with the assistance of rereleases. In inflation is factored in, the number of $400m+ movies at the North America box office swells up to 97.

The Dark Knight Rises box office: Unlike The Dark Knight, No ‘four-peat’

Aug. 12 update: The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan’s third movie in his Batman trilogy, is down two spots on the North American box office chart this weekend, Aug. 10-12. After three weekends on top, TDKR‘s fell behind two new releases: Tony Gilroy / Jeremy Renner’s thriller The Bourne Legacy and Jay Roach / Will Ferrell / Zach Galifianakis’ satirical comedy The Campaign. (Picture: The Dark Knight Rises Batman Christian Bale.)

According to studio estimates, on its fourth weekend out, The Dark Knight Rises earned $19.54 million (down 45 percent) vs. The Bourne Legacy‘s $40.26 million and The Campaign‘s $27.44 million.

For comparison’s sake: The Dark Knight remained the no. 1 movie in the U.S. and Canada for four consecutive weekends in late summer 2008. TDK was down 39 percent on its fourth weekend, grossing $26.11 million.

Box office: The Dark Knight Rises vs. The Dark Knight

Here’s another TDKR vs. TDK comparison: The Dark Knight Rises has been out for 24 days, having raked in an estimated $390.14 million at the U.S. and Canada box office. During that same period in 2008, The Dark Knight had reached a cume of $441.62 million. That’s a near $51 million gap – without taking inflation or TDKR‘s costlier IMAX screenings into account.

The Dark Knight Rises box office: TDKR has passed $800 million milestone worldwide

Chiefly as a result of $34.2 million (down 49 percent) earned outside the United States and Canada, this weekend Christopher Nolan’s third Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, passed the $800 million milestone at the worldwide box office. TDKR‘s current estimated global cume is $835.44 million according to figures found at Boxofficemojo.com. Of this amount, $390.14 million came from North America. (Image: The Dark Knight Rises, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne.)

Although there’s no chance TDKR will match the $533.34 million its predecessor earned at the domestic box office, Nolan’s “Batman 3” will inevitably surpass The Dark Knight internationally within the next week or so (not taking inflation or currency exchange rates into account). According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. claims that TDKR “is tracking 46 percent ahead of the comparable take of its franchise predecessor … at today’s exchange rates.”

The Dark Knight Rises’ top international markets this weekend were the United Kingdom with $3.3 million (cume $72.2 million), followed by France and Brazil with $3 million each, and, respectively, $24.8 million and $19.6 million cumes. TDKR‘s current international total is an estimated $445.3 million. The Dark Knight cumed at $468.57 million. Curiously, both The Dark Knight and Batman Begins (2005) earned more at the U.S. and Canada box office than elsewhere – a pattern relatively uncommon for action movie franchises.

Aug. 6 update: The Dark Knight Rises box office: third weekend win confirmed. (Picture: Catwoman Anne Hathaway.) Christopher Nolan’s third and last Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, maintained its position at the top of the North American box office this past weekend, Aug. 3-5. As mentioned in my previous TDKR box office article, that’s the third Batman movie’s third weekend at the top.

The Dark Knight Rises box office: End of TDKR’s rule?

For comparison’s sake: “Batman 2,” a.k.a. The Dark Knight, was on top for four consecutive weekends in late summer 2008. The Dark Knight Rises, however, may have to content itself with only three no. 1 weekends. According to Box Office Mojo, Nolan’s latest (and officially last) Batman movie collected $35.73 million – down 42.5 percent compared to last weekend – which theoretically would mean a fourth-weekend box office take around $20m-$23 million. At least a couple of new releases may reach beyond that range.

Opening in the U.S. and Canada next weekend are the following:

• Three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep’s latest movie, Hope Springs (actually opening on Wednesday), directed by The Devil Wears Prada‘s David Frankel (coincidentally, Devil co-stars TDKR‘s Anne Hathaway), and featuring Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell.
• The Jay Roach-directed comedy The Campaign, with Will Ferrell and The Hangover movies’ Zach Galifianakis.
• Tony Gilroy’s The Bourne Identity reboot / sequel / spin-off The Bourne Legacy, starring The Hurt Locker‘s Jeremy Renner (instead of Matt Damon), in addition to Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton.

The Dark Knight Rises’ sole competitor this past weekend was Len Wiseman’s Total Recall reboot, a poorly reviewed effort that grossed a highly disappointing $25.57 million at 3,601 venues. Starring Colin Farrell, who has been featured in a series of box office flops of late, Wiseman’s wife Kate Beckinsale, and Jessica Biel, the sci-fier/actioner opened at no. 2.

Back to The Dark Knight Rises: thanks to $67 million earned in overseas, TDKR passed the $700 million milestone at the worldwide box office this past weekend. TDKR‘s current estimated global cume is $732.33 million. Although Nolan’s “Batman Rises” movie will in all likelihood fail to match its predecessor’s gross at the domestic box office, it will almost certainly surpass “Batman 2” internationally. The Dark Knight Rises’ current international take is an estimated $378.4m; The Dark Knight cumed at $468.57 million.

Another TDKR vs. TDK comparison: on Day 17, The Dark Knight had earned $393.75 million at the U.S. and Canada box office, while The Dark Knight Rises’ cume during that same period is $353.93 million. That’s a near $40 million gap – without taking inflation or costlier IMAX screenings – a TDKR advantage – into account.

The Dark Knight Rises box office: third consecutive weekend at the top

Aug. 5 update: Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises has remained the no. 1 movie at the North American box office this weekend, Aug. 3-5. That marks the third Batman movie’s third weekend at the top. Cosmic? Perhaps, but The Dark Knight Rises needs to stay one more weekend in the no. 1 slot in order to match The Dark Knight‘s four-weekend-at-the-top run.

Note: TDKR‘s competition will be fierce next weekend. Opening in the U.S. and Canada are the Meryl Streep vehicle Hope Springs (actually opening on Wednesday), directed by The Devil Wears Prada‘s David Frankel, and co-starring Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell; the Jay Roach-directed comedy The Campaign, with Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis; and Tony Gilroy’s The Bourne Identity reboot / sequel / spin-off (or whatever) The Bourne Legacy, starring Jeremy Renner (instead of Matt Damon), Rachel Weisz, and Edward Norton.

The Dark Knight Rises’ only competition this weekend was Len Wiseman’s widely panned Total Recall reboot, which opened on Friday at 3,601 sites. Starring Colin Farrell, who hasn’t had much luck at the domestic box office of late, Kate Beckinsale, and Jessica Biel, Wiseman’s sci-fier/actioner had to content itself with a disappointing second place debut.

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ weekend box office: lower drop-off rate

The Dark Knight Rises earned (or rather, is earning) an estimated $36.44 million this weekend. If studio estimates are accurate – last weekend they were off by $2 million – that represents a 41 percent drop from a week ago. Nothing too steep; though not exactly a “minor” drop either for a movie on its third weekend out. On the other hand, that’s certainly better than the 45 percent drop-off rate I was expecting yesterday.

For comparison’s sake: The Dark Knight was down 43 percent on its third weekend, but its second weekend take was an impressive $75m.Coming down from a mammoth $103.5 million on weekend no. 2, The Avengers suffered a 46 percent drop on its third weekend out earlier this year. The Dark Knight Rises’ box office take last weekend was considerably more modest than either TDK or The Avengers: $62 million.

The real good news: thanks to $67 million from international territories, The Dark Knight Rises has passed the $700 million milestone at the worldwide box office this weekend. TDKR‘s current cume is $733.03 million. Although Nolan’s “Batman Rises” movie will have trouble matching its predecessor at the domestic box office, it will almost certainly surpass “Batman 2” internationally.

In fact, unlike The Dark Knight, which was a bigger box office hit in North American than overseas, The Dark Knight Rises is already bigger abroad: 51.6 percent internationally vs. 48.4 percent in the United States/Canada. For comparison’s sake: The Dark Knight domestic vs. international percentages were: 53.2 percent vs. 46.8 percent.

Another TDKR vs. TDK comparison: on Day 17, The Dark Knight had earned $393.75 million at the U.S. and Canada box office in summer 2008; The Dark Knight Rises estimated domestic box office gross after 17 days is $354.63 million. That’s a near $40 million gap – without taking inflation or costlier IMAX screenings into account.

‘Total Recall’ 2012 box office: soft debut

Starring Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, and Jessica Biel, Len Wiseman’s Total Recall 2012 reboot raked in a low-key $26 million this weekend, Aug. 3-5, as per studio estimates – trailing Christopher Nolan / Christian Bale’s The Dark Knight Rises by a wide margin. Reportedly budgeted at $125 million, not including marketing and distribution expenses (easily an extra $65-$70m), Total Recall‘s opening-weekend figures are not good news for Sony Pictures.

For comparison’s sake: Universal’s Snow White and the Huntsman, directed by Rupert Sanders, and starring Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, and Sam Claflin, opened with $56 million in June. That’s approximately 115 percent above Total Recall‘s first-weekend gross, while SWATH cost only 35 percent more.

Now, like other recent domestic box office disappointments / bombs such as Peter Berg’s Battleship and Disney’s John Carter – coincidentally, both starring Taylor Kitsch – Total Recall 2012 should be more enthusiastically received overseas despite the film’s lack of 3D “box-office appeal.” Having already debuted in Thailand, Singapore, and Hong Kong, where it took in an estimated $6.2 million, Total Recall will be opening in dozens of other territories within the next month or so.

Colin Farrell box office

Of late, Colin Farrell hasn’t been very lucky at the global box office. Disney/DreamWorks’ Fright Night 2011 reboot, for instance, scored a paltry $41 million worldwide. And that’s a blockbuster figure compared to William Monahan’s London Boulevard ($4.6 million), Peter Weir’s The Way Back ($24.2 million), Neil Jordan’s Ondine ($1.3 million), Gavin O’Connor’s Pride & Glory ($31.1 million), Martin McDonagh’s generally well-received In Bruges ($33.4 million), and Woody Allen’s Cassandra’s Dream ($22.7 million).

In fact, apart from Seth Gordon’s ensemble comedy Horrible Bosses, which brought in $209.6 million (and which featured Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Kevin Spacey, and others), no “Colin Farrell movie” has earned more than $50 million (adjusted for inflation) at the worldwide box office since Miami Vice in 2006.

As discussed in this Colin Farrell box office article (written at the time Farrell was mentioned in connection with Arthur & Lancelot), only two Colin Farrell movies have earned more than $100 million in North America: the aforementioned Horrible Bosses, with $117.5 million, and Clark Johnson’s 2003 actioner S.W.A.T., with $116.9 million. Mark Steven Johnson’s Daredevil and Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report also passed the $100 million mark in the U.S. and Canada, but those were Ben Affleck and Tom Cruise movies, respectively.

Overseas, the only Colin Farrell movies that scored more than $100 millionare Miami Vice with $100.34 million and, surprisingly, Oliver Stone’s domestic flop Alexander with $133 million in 2004. (Horrible Bosses, S.W.A.T., and Daredevil were bigger hits in the U.S. and Canada.) Whether or not Total Recall will be Farrell’s third $100m+ international success depends on audiences’ interest in a 2D thriller.

Total Recall 2012 Rotten Tomatoes rating

Total Recall 2012 has a downright rotten 24 percent approval rating and a mediocre 4.9/10 average rating among Rotten Tomatoes‘ top critics. Besides the aforementioned Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, and Jessica Biel, Total Recall features Bryan Cranston, Bill Nighy, John Cho, Bokeem Woodbine, and Will Yun Lee. Kurt Wimmer and Mark Bomback were credited for the screenplay, “inspired” by Philip K. Dick’s story.

In addition to Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Paul Verhoeven-directed Total Recall 1990 featured Sharon Stone, Rachel Ticotin, Ronny Cox, and Michael Ironside.

Total Recall 2012 Colin Farrell picture: Columbia Pictures.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3: Dog Days box office. Trailing The Dark Knight Rises and the Total Recall 2012 reboot, David Bowers’ 20th Century Fox-distributed Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3: Dog Days had (or rather, is having) a below-par debut at the domestic box office.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3 behind predecessors

At 3,392 North American locations, Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3: Dog Days took in a highly disappointing $14.7 million this weekend according to studio estimates. That’s about $2.5 million below early Friday estimates. For comparison’s sake: its predecessor, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, opened with $23.8 million* in March 2011, while the original Diary of a Wimpy Kid debuted with $22.1 million* in March 2010.

Another not-so-good news: Wimpy 3 is costlier than its predecessors – a reported $22 million vs. $15 million for the original Wimpy and $21 million for Wimpy 2. (Hey, a million bucks is a million bucks. Don’t want it? I’ll take it.) I should add that the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies are only moderately popular at the North American box office and not at all elsewhere. Fatter revenues likely come from ancillary distribution, at least in the U.S. and Canada, which would explain the existence of the latest sequel.

Similarly to the previous two entries, Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3 has a mediocre 47 percent approval rating and a 5.4/10 average rating among Rotten Tomatoes‘ top critics. This third movie in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie series features Zachary Gordon, Rachael Harris, Devon Bostick, Robert Capron, and Steve Zahn.

The Dark Knight Rises weekend box office: 45 percent drop?

After earning an estimated $10.4 million on Friday, The Dark Knight Rises should collect approximately $34–35 million by Sunday evening. If those figures are accurate, that’ll represent a 45 percent drop (or whereabouts) from a week ago. Nothing too steep; but not exactly a “moderate” drop-off rate either, for a movie on its third weekend out.

For comparison’s sake: The Dark Knight was down 43 percent on its third weekend, but it was coming from an impressive $75 million the previous weekend.Coming down from a mammoth $103.5 million on weekend no. 2, The Avengers suffered a 46 percent drop on its third weekend earlier this year. The Dark Knight Rises’ box office take last weekend was a considerably more modest $62 million.

The good news: The Dark Knight Rises should be passing $600 million at the worldwide box office this weekend. TDKR‘s current cume is $576.79 million.

Total Recall 2012 box office: disappointing. Reportedly budgeted at $125 million, not including marketing and distribution expenses (which could easily add another $65-$70 million to the film’s total cost), the Len Wiseman-directed Total Recall 2012 reboot scored a none-too-impressive $9.2 million on Friday, as per Sony Pictures’ estimates.

As a new release aimed at teenagers and young adults, chances are that by Sunday evening the remake of the 1990 Paul Verhoeven / Arnold Schwarzenegger “classic” – just about any movie over a decade old is a classic nowadays – will fall way behind Christopher Nolan’s third Batman movie, which collected an estimated $10.4 million from 3,601 sites on Friday as per studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo.

Box office: ‘Total Recall’ 2012 vs. ‘The Dark Knight Rises’

Starring Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, and Jessica Biel, the widely panned sci-fier / actioner was slightly behind The Dark Knight Rises. The gap, however, is about to widen.

Whereas TDKR is expected to gross $34-35 million over the weekend, Sony is expecting $25-$26 million for Total Recall. That’s certainly not good news for such an expensive movie.

For comparison’s sake: Universal’s Snow White and the Huntsman, directed by Rupert Sanders, and starring Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, and Chris Hemsworth, opened with $56 million in June. That’s about 115 percent above Total Recall‘s expected first-weekend gross for a movie that cost only 35 percent more.

The silver lining: like other recent domestic box office disappointments / bombs such as Peter Berg’s Battleship and Disney’s John Carter, Total Recall should be more enthusiastically received overseas – despite the Wiseman / Farrell film’s 3Dlessness. Having already debuted in a handful of Asian countries, Total Recall will be opening in dozens of markets in the next five weeks.

Total Recall Rotten Tomatoes rating

Total Recall has a rotten 24 percent approval rating and a mediocre 4.9/10 average rating among Rotten Tomatoes’ top critics. In addition to Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, and Jessica Biel, Total Recall features Bryan Cranston, Bill Nighy, and John Cho. Besides Arnold Schwarzenegger, the 1990 original featured Sharon Stone, Rachel Ticotin, Ronny Cox, and Michael Ironside.

Total Recall 2012 Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel photo: Columbia Pictures.

Aug. 3

Total Recall 2012 vs. The Dark Knight Rises box office. (Image: Jessica Biel, Colin Farrell Total Recall 2012.) Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, the indisputable champ at the domestic (and international) box office in the last couple of weekends, shouldn’t have much trouble holding its top position at the U.S. and Canada box office for the third consecutive weekend. Starring Colin Farrell, Len Wiseman’s Total Recall, which opens today at 3,601 locations, shouldn’t be too far behind – at least on Friday, August 3.

Friday box office: Total Recall 2012 closely behind The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises is expected to gross around $10 million on Friday, closely followed by Total Recall with approximately $9.4 million, according to early, rough estimates found at Deadline.com. Since Total Recall is a new release aimed at teenagers, and those tend to be frontloaded, chances are that by Sunday evening the Sony Pictures reboot of the 1990 Paul Verhoeven / Arnold Schwarzenegger action sci-fier will fall quite a bit behind Nolan’s third Batman movie.

Estimates provided at Deadline.com are: $34 million for The Dark Knight Rises and $26 million for Total Recall. When it comes to the latter, that’s not exactly great news for a movie that cost a reported $125 million. The Wiseman reboot / remake, by the way, has a rotten 24 percent approval rate and a mediocre 4.9/10 average rating among Rotten Tomatoes’ top critics. In addition to Colin Farrell, Total Recall features Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, Bill Nighy, and John Cho.

Total Recall 2012 Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel photo: Columbia Pictures.

Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne photo: Ron Philips / Warner Bros.