  Batman sequel The Dark Knight, with Christian Bale, took a big bite out of the box office. 
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They're laughing all the way to the bank in Gotham City.
The Dark Knight, the latest big-screen showdown between Batman and his cackling nemesis the Joker, demolished box-office records this weekend, setting new nose-bleed highs for midnight, single-day and three-day grosses.
Moreover, the hotly-anticipated sequel proved such an irresistible draw for filmgoers, it propelled the total weekend box office to unprecedented levels.
According to studio estimates, from Friday to yesterday, director Christopher Nolan's comic-book adaptation raked in an estimated $155.3 million in North America -- surpassing the $151.1 million webbed up by last summer's Spider-Man 3.
"This is beyond any reasonable expectation. It's a phenomenon," says Brandon Gray, president and publisher of online tracking site Box Office Mojo.
Premiering in a historic 4,366 theatres and buoyed by overwhelmingly positive reviews, The Dark Knight posted the biggest midnight opening ever Thursday night with $18.5 million -- topping Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith's $16 million.
From there, the buzzed-about blockbuster steamrolled over rivals and records. Its Friday gross of $66.4 million was the largest one-day haul ever, ahead of Spider-Man 3's $59 million. It also blasted past the debuts of Iron Man and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom the Crystal Skull, as well as more than tripled the opening of 2005's Batman Begins, which brought in $48.7 million in its first three days towards a final gross of $205 million.
"If it keeps pace, it will out-gross Batman Begins in its first week," Gray says.
Anticipation for this second chapter in the revived franchise has been especially intense since the sudden death of Heath Ledger, whose eerie, manic turn as the Joker opposite Christian Bale's Batman is among the most sensational in years.
Yet Gray believes the Ledger-fuelled media frenzy is only one of several reasons for this explosion of Bat-mania.
"There are many factors and the publicity surrounding Heath Ledger is one of them," Gray explains. "But it's not so much that he died as here he is performing as the Joker, the most popular villain in comic books. At the end of Batman Begins, people knew the Joker was going to be the villain even before he was cast and they were excited by that prospect. Batman Begins restored the franchise and only became more popular on DVD and on TV."
A sluggish economy and high gas prices also contributed to the blockbuster business, Gray says. Rather than travelling, people are seeking inexpensive forms of event entertainment -- the cheapest of which is heading to the local multiplex.
The stunning commercial and critical success is sure to bolster talk of a posthumous Oscar nomination for Ledger, who died of an accidental overdose of prescription medication in January. Just as impressively, the movie itself is now being touted as a potential best picture contender.
The Dark Knight also lifted the overall box office to unheard-of heights. The top 10 films alone grossed nearly $247 million. That obliterates the previous non-holiday record of $218.4 million set the weekend of July 7-9 in 2006 when Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men's Chest ruled.
Also opening this weekend was the musical Mamma Mia, which nonetheless earned a strong $27.6 million to finish second. In third place was Will Smith's Hancock ($14 million), Journey to the Center of the Earth ($11.9 million) and last weekend's No. 1 Hellboy II: The Golden Army ($10 million), which was clearly wounded by the caped crusader's return.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. ‘The Dark Knight,’ $155.34 million.
2. ‘Mamma Mia!’, $27.6 million.
3. ‘Hancock,’ $14 million.
4. ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth,’ $11.9 million.
5. ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army,’ $10 million.
6. ‘WALL-E,’ $9.8 million.
7. ‘Space Chimps,’ $7.4 million.
8. ‘Wanted,’ $5.1 million.
9. ‘Get Smart,’ $4.1 million.
10. ‘Kung Fu Panda,’ $1.8 million.
